And So It Is
by hayateisdaddy
Summary: Izanami Akiyama; a Kunoichi from the Leaf in search of the only person who could explain who she is. When she was born, her mother knew she'd be a strong shinobi. One day, after a terrible argument at home at age 7, her mother dragged her out to the training grounds despite doctors orders. During the training, Izzy accidentally killed her. Her village resents her. And so it is.
1. Chapter 1: Sob Story of My Life

Chapter One: Sob Story of My Life.

A/N: hi, so i haven't written any type of ff in literally yearsss soooo im just testing the waters to see how well i've adapted as a writer and have recently gotten into the Naruto series. dont worry tho it won't be all slang with bad grammar and analytical mistakes. (i hope) this is just a hobby but if this story gets more popular id love to post more often. let me know how i do in the comments or any suggestions that you would have for me to incorporate into the story, and plssss for the love of god enjoy it hahaha okay here is the deets:

y/n type story but i hate when things get steamy and i read "y/n" instead of a name so You are Izanami Akiyama, but the characters will call you by petnames/nicknames, occasionally by your last name. This is from third person for flashbacks but second person (ex: you raised your hand) and unless y'all ask for first person, i won't incorporate it :)  
This story will include many ideas from YOU! anything you'd ever thought would be a good plot line or plot! I'll post credits for ideas in each chapter note. Takes place in a Shippuden AU between Pain/Pein killing Jiraiya, and the 4th Great Shinobi War. Except it wont happen. When Pain offed himself to save the Leaf, Sasuke had killed Danzo and Madara and took his eyes because Itachi wanted him to. He came back with the 1st through 7th tailed beasts, and the Five Kage reassigned them accordingly. He was no longer an outlaw, and is back training with Team 7 (yes that's a 4 man squad with Sai.)  
Let me know if you want an official breakdown of what each of the main characters are doing/what they have learned. I have the main pairing in mind but don't worry, all of this takes place around Shippuden so at the age of 17 these kids are bound to fool around ;) Smut bound and kinks can be requested! (I WILL NOT DO NON-CON OR INCEST SORRY NOT SORRY.)

also this is an AU so there will be MODERN things that are NOT usually in fanfics such as smoking weed, sex(duh), the characters acting like average high schoolers, getting into shit they're not supposed to, doing things that are illegal, etc. TRIGGER WARNINGS WILL BE IN EACH CHAPTER SUMMARY IN ORDER TO HELP YOU AVOID SENSITIVE TOPICS/SCENES. I will not be doing in depth descriptions of anything triggering, but I know it is hard to read about some people's experiences without triggering memories that are upsetting. Any questions pm me on Fanfiction! I have the same handle (/hayateisdaddy) and I am quick to respond. Now let's get into it!

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~Flashback~

It was dark. Almost too dark for Izanami Akiyama, a local high school freshman, as she walked from the community center where she was previously studying to her home at the orphanage. She had been there practically all day, learning more about Shinobi and Kunoichi, and practicing chakra control, per usual. She felt as though civilian life shouldn't be her only option, that she was bound to have more to her than her history. Fumbling in her thoughts, she stared at the ground as she walked. Distant shops were closing, and a low hum of families bidding their goodnights to one another was all she could hear as she passed house after house. Then, she stopped for a second, focusing her newfound chakra to her ears to better hear something she thought she imagined. Scratching? No. Scraping, maybe... No, _carving_. Followed by stifled laughter and shushes. She honed in as she crept towards the sound leading behind the shop into some bushes, on a self-assigned mission to find the miscreants. She was crouching to avoid being seen when she was lead to the village lake, scanning the area for the mysterious carving sound and the people creating them. Laughter echoed over the water, and she analyzed the ripples of the waves for direction.

"I hate this place! Always going on about loyalty and teamwork" grumbled a young voice, "Stupid sensei and their stupid sensei authority!" and Izanami quickly realized she was closer to them than she anticipated.

A shadow passed in front of her as it spoke as well, "Yeah, tell me about it. I just can't grasp their values. Why are civilians more important than us? Sometimes I feel like I don't belong here... Hey, let me try that Udon-chan." This one was more feminine than the other.

"Hey, Moegi-chan, why don't we just... get out of here? Y'know like just leave, and never come back!" it was almost a whisper... _almost._

Izanami frowned, this village has taught her to give nothing but kindness, even when facing hard times. She felt as though that shinobi were the ones who had more freedom than civilians. It angered her to hear people speak about such a beautiful village, and strong shinobi force, disrespectfully, especially from academy students. She stepped out of the bushes, to reveal herself and faced them.

"Hey now, this village is more than simpleton civilians." She stated matter-of-factly and chuckled, startling the two, "You guys are younger than I thought. C'mon, now, when have rules ever said civilians are valued more than Shinobi?" She scrunched her face slightly as she spoke, sliding her hands into her pockets as she walked towards the Genin defacing the shop wall.

"What do you know, mother-killer?" The smaller one spat, flipping her kunai into her hand and holding it out to her side. Izanami was taken aback as the voice matched to who she assumed to be Moegi. **_They know who I am? _**She thought to herself.

"Yeah," laughed the boy, Udon, "Why don't you go back to the orphanage and worry about how you're gonna live when the Akatsuki take over and kill us all! You civilians won't have anyone to put their lives before you then, huh!" Udon cracked his knuckles and took a step towards her. "Get lost." He threatened.

"What was that?" She asked, staring at the ground before them.

"He _said_ get lost, pumpkin!" The girl snarled, getting into a noticeably weak fighting stance, "Before you get hurt."

A moment passed as a cool breeze slipped between them, Izanami's hair gently flowing with it. "Get hurt, huh?" She smirked as she spoke, her sparkling confidence colliding with her pent-up anger. She looked up at the two boldly, and spoke with more passion than she wanted to,

"How _dare_ you talk about hurt? Do you even know what it means to hurt? To be treated as a waste of space by people outside your clan for something out of your control?! Have you ever _EXPERIENCED_ what it's like to believe that the end of your days couldn't come TOO SOON? Do you even have to _IMAGINE_ what it's like to have a family? Or friends? OR TO HAVE PEOPLE BELIEVE IN YOU?!" She shouted as she threw her hands out at the Genin, flinging several kunai at them with such strength and precision they were pinned to the brick wall behind them.

"Hey!" Udon growled, "You're dead meat now!" The boy grunted, struggling to remove the kunai from the wall. The two kids were breathless from the impact, and enamored by her intense chakra while fumbling to get the blades out.

"You're just kids," She said she almost whispered, the hurt in her voice didn't go unnoticed. "You have so much more stuff to discover about the genuinely amazing things this village has to offer its Shinobi." She came close to them. Looking at each kid from head to toe.

"You just said yourself this village treats you like shit! So why are you trying to stop us from leaving?" Moegi asked, giving up on freeing herself.

"Because you Shinobi have far more value than you think. You have the freedom to be who you want to be, create friendships and discover all _KINDS_ of things around the world. Through escort missions, through battles, wars, peace treaties, all that amazing stuff! _You_ get to choose who you are. Civilians are either born and raised into a hardworking trade, or a family business or they're born into poverty and struggles that you don't have, like wondering when your next meal is." Coincidentally, her stomach let out a small growl. Embarrassed, her face flushed a little but she continued, starting to free the girl of her kunai "Or what it would be like if you died because nobody would notice. But Shinobi? Even Genin, if one of you falls, the whole village mourns. You guys are lucky. You lot are some of the most valued, if not the most valued, parts of the village."

When Moegi was freed she pondered over possibly attacking Izanami, but she decided against it and simply started to help the civilian free her former classmate.

"And you shouldn't talk about your senseis like that. They only want you to better yourselves for the sake of the village." Izanami flashed a smirk at Mei as she noticed her helping out but struggling to pull the kunai with two hands. "And you! Moegi, right? Remember, you signed up for this. If you weren't smart enough to realize that it would come with authorities telling you what to do and to have more of a team mentality, then I can only assume you cheated on your exams." Izanami joked, knowing full and well that these genin were just blowing off some steam after some dumb D-rank mission or training day. But she was hoping they wouldn't actually leave the village because of it.

"Hmph." Udon grunted as she pulled the last kunai out of the wall and he dropped to the ground.

They were maybe a foot shorter than her, with Moegi having but an inch or two over Udon.

"I didn't cheat..." He mumbled. "I just... It's really that I hate the people on my team. They make me feel like I'm never gonna be anything but a genin! Like I'm weak, and like a civilian could beat me!" Anger poured from his eyes as he stared Izanami down. "And I guess one could, seeing as you were able to catch us off guard like that.. All I ever wanted was to be good shinobi. But it seems like I can never be good enough. That's why I want to leave." He said, pocketing his hands as Izanami sighed.

"I'm sure you're good, strong shinobi. I was just like you guys when I was your age, eager and inspired by ninja to the point that i only wanted to be the best one! But the civilian world is different. At the orphanage, they insisted on finding a 'real' job because they thought I couldn't, or shouldn't make it as a ninja." She said, looking down at the kunai she collected, "And these kunai. These are all I have left of my dad. He left the village when he found out he got my mom pregnant. He told her he was going on a mission one day, and just never came back." Stiffening the rest of her body, she put her kunai away. The Genin looked at her with guilt. Not knowing what to say, when she spoke again:

"When mom gave birth to me, she lost a lot of blood and would continue to suffer from immense blood loss anytime she bled but, she managed to teach me a few things about my clan, my bloodline. Against doctors orders, she had also tried her best to teach me to fight. One day, after we hd been arguing in our house, she dragged me to the Training grounds here in the village. People stared at us because they knew she was a powerful shinobi before she got pregnant, and looked at me as if I was her downfall. We argued when we arrived, over something I dont even remember! But she threw this pouch of kunai at my feet and we started our fight. She had only taught me taijutsu, and I had no idea how it felt to throw kunai or where to aim but we went at it. Not knowing my strength, I had thrown one of those kunai at her during training and it landed.. The clan wasn't supposed to know about our training but with so many people who watched us storm through crowds, they had sent someone to stop her from what looked like her abusing me. So when my kunai actually hit her, I didn't know what to do. I screamed and grabbed her as quickly as possible. She died in my arms right before I got to the hospital." The young Genin gasped, covering her mouth over with her hand, as Izzy continued, "I didn't even get to say anything when someone from the Police Force said I had killed her during a fight. No one believed my story because an eye witness said that they heard fighting and when they saw us, they only saw me yell at her and throw the kunai."

_Silence fell upon them._

"I... I'm so sorry about what I said earlier... I didn't know." Moegi said, her once snappy voice now filled with sorrow.

"It's not your fault, soon as my case settled they just threw me in the orphanage and told everyone I killed my mom but since I was a kid I couldn't be put in jail because a shinobi who knew my family said that I could not have done it with intent. But nobody wanted to adopt me after, and thus the damage continued to be done. People gossiped about me like I was a monster. Kids refused to be my friend, and teachers didn't give me credit where I deserved. Giving me low grades and claiming I never did my work so that I would look bad on paper and no one would hire me even once I aged out of the system."

This infuriated Udon, "So they didn't even care?! Even if you had done it on purpose, why wouldn't they try to help you get better? Why would they try to keep you down?!" He yelled, balling his fists at his sides.

Izanami shrugged, "They even changed my name y'know. They call me Izanami because it means the goddess of life and death. As if I was given life to take my mother's away." The kids gasped, "Yeah, I don't even remember what my name used to be. But," she inhaled deeply, "That's enough out of me, whaddaya say we go apologize to the shop owner about this thing you engraved on the wall?" She swung her arm in front her gently she spoke while tilting her head towards the direction she was pointing, her eyes squinting as she smiled beneath her mask.

"Yeah.." The embarrassed Genin said at the same time as they flushed, Udon putting a hand behind his head to scratch it, and Moegi burying her face into her hands. After they expressed their apologies and told the shop owner they would pay for the repairs, the pair bid goodnight to the soon-to-be Shinobi, thanking her for changing their minds.

**_What a crazy night_** she thought to herself later as she laid in bed, messing with the necklace she kept underneath her clothes. **_Maybe I _****_should_****_ sign up to be a Shinobi, y'know mom?_** she kissed her necklace and turned to her side, letting her over-worked brain take control of her body as she drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: Where It Begins

Chapter Two: Where It Began.

Another day in Konoha. Birds chirped and sang to one another as the sun began to rise for the Leaf. A cold breeze streamed through the air, colliding with the wind chimes made of wood and silver on the shop doors below a small apartment complex. There's a small sign out front that reads:

The Place at Town Square Shinobi Apartments; The Genin Home Away From Home! Now open to academy students with parental approval!

It was a small place, not as popular as most genin apartments. But these were kept separate for very young shinobi, mostly 10 or 12 year olds, from other villages or the orphanage. Izanami, however, was shoved here three years ago after she tested into the academy. She begged for an apartment with people her age, but the Admissions Counselor was rude and said she was lucky to not be on the streets because that's what they would have done if she hadn't passed. At only 14, she couldn't do anything but sigh, say thank you, and walk to her new home.

Constant fighting and screaming encompassed the corridors, making it difficult for her to sleep at night, or study during the day. She would play music on the radio and try to drown out the sounds with a white noise machine, but always had her neighbor come knocking on her door to turn it down. Thus she resorted to night classes.

Taking time during the day to sleep and study but being out at night suited her. Only two sensei would do night classes, however, and there were only two or three stragglers who would ever show up. Since Guy-Sensei was one of the teachers for the class, of course Lee would show up as an assistant, and to get more training in since he already graduated the academy. What has later been called Team Ebisu was there too! They were forced by Konohamaru, though. He told Moegi and Udon that if they failed to pass the final exam that he would fail his test on purpose so that he wouldn't be a rank ahead of them. His dedication to his friends only encouraged Izanami more. She cracked jokes with the bugger and they became somewhat like siblings over the years. With the occasional quarrel over pervy non-sense or who won what race, she always knew she could count on him for a boost of moral. She'd return the favor by tousling his hair around with a smile behind her mask. Three years had passed. Time went by in what seemed to be an instant to Izanami. But she had learned so much! After graduating the academy, Izanami was quickly deemed a master at earth style, and was catching up to Lee in taijutsu. Of course after Pain attacked, the village had to train the genin more vigorously and far more often in order to rank them up and recruit new ones. So far, Izanami was one of the last Genin for her age group. That's why her next mission was vital. It's why she should be late.

**_Be... late...?_**

Izanami shot her eyes open, adrenaline coursing through her veins. **_Oh, fuck. I'm gonna be late! _**She rushed to the sink to, very rough and quickly, brush her teeth and splashed some water on her face. She had a very important meeting today... with the **Hokage**. "Hyuuuagh!" She exclaimed after slipping on a towel. "Damn that hurt!" No one else was around, but she often spoke to herself anyways. Glancing at the clock in a frenzy, she suddenly realized her anxiety had woken her up an hour and a half earlier than she was supposed to.

**_Well that's annoying... At least I get to take my time now._**

She headed back to the bathroom and hopped in the shower with a head wrap and shower cap, still covering your hair from last night's deep conditioning. Self-care has always been a priority since nobody else seemed to care about her. Aside from two Chunin, also know as her only friends. Tenten and Hinata both became Izanami, later nicknamed Izzy or Twin Peaks, best friends in the three years that passed since that night behind the shop. She could remember her first day at the academy like it was yesterday! Of course, some of the sensei thought it odd she joined so... late. And it was hard, being put into an already experienced and full team. Especially since Neji decided that she was destined to die because she had killed her own mother, not ever bringing it back up when he started learning to be quieter when it came down to his criticism. He refused to talk to her in general, now. But things would change today, she could just sense it! The thought of people actually recognizing who Izanami was and not what she had done, brought a smile on her face as she finished up in the shower. As for her hair, she unwrapped it and started to comb through it while a cool blow dryer aired it out. On a typical day, she'd throw it in a messy bun and head out. But today, Izanami, _had_ to stand out. But who was she kidding, with long cyan blue curls and deep purple eyes, who could avoid even looking at her once or twice? Her confidence was radiant, due to the acceptance she bestowed upon herself for convincing the two genin to stay in the village and for making Genin herself! Being a rank below her team impacted it a little, but they had an earlier start than her so she knew in her heart that she was the best she could be. For now, anyways. She was working to perfect her Fire chakra nature infused jutsus. Earth style and taijutsu were cool and all, but she was ready to be the Attack role on the team, instead of the Defense.

When her hair was just dry enough to be damp, she gave it a scrunch between her fingers by raising her hands through it and squeezing. Twirling her hair as she tossed it around for her beach-like curls to form quicker. She then parted her bangs to the right and combed half of her hair into a neat bun with a stray stand curling around her heart-shaped face. Now it was time to go. She stepped into her room and slipped into an over the shoulders crop top and made sure that she wore her fishnet undershirt this time because she feels like her arms looked weird without a cover.

Squeezing sheer black high waisted ballet tights with a lace rose design, and adding a pair of dark grey colored, low-rise skinny jeans that had tears from previous missions and black high top shinobi sandals that rose above the ankle, Izanami was debating if she should have removed her piercings or bought new jeans.

**_Nah, there's no way she'll judge me because of that stuff_**.

She grabbed her web belt and put it on as she speed-walked to her apartment door to leave, locking the door behind her and taking off on her stroll to HQ. She kicked herself as she remembered she wanted to wear her face mask in case she started to get flustered or upset.

**_What a drag, now everybody is going to see how I'm feeling in regards to what they're saying! I hope I don't get yelled at_**.

It was kind of annoying to her how she could tell herself a million times, not to forget a single thing, and forgets at least one thing every time. With her chin high and a sort of strut in her step, Izanami made her way through the crowds of people. Stopping for a fried pork bun and some freshly squeezed lemonade, she was approached by a familiar Jonin.

"Hey, uh, Nami-chan, h-how's things been?" the voice said, a pinch of guilt and pity mixing in his voice. Izanami stank eyed him as she continued to walk, tossing out her trash as she pushed past him.

"Don't speak to me like you care about me, Genma." She mumbled, her emotions getting the best of her over his chosen honorific.

Ah, Genma. The playboy of the guardsman. He had won Izanami's heart when she graduated from the Academy. Of course, their almost 12 year age gap made things difficult. He was very sneaky though, often times he'd slip into her bedroom window at night where they'd spent their time making a feverish type of love. But he started to grow cold when she had told him she was starting to fall in love and eventually became that of a ghost. He shadowed her as she walked away, pleading for her forgiveness but in a hushed tone so no bystanders would hear:

"Nami-chan, please, I'm sorry I left without telling you. I had a mission." A mission. He always used that excuse. He would leave her for days, weeks even, after an argument or accidental "Babe" or "Honey" name slip. This time he hadn't visited her for two months, even though she would see him in the village from time to time.

"It's fine, Genma-_sama_." She said cold and sarcastically. He was no one to impress, but his reaction to the honorific made him pout. She used to call him Genma-chan, a sweet or cutesy way of showing her affection for him in private or Genma-san in public.

"Gah, you stop it now," he grumbled to her and he caught up, looking around to see if anyone had noticed their little quarrel, "I left for good reason, but I'm back now and I want you-" He was cut off by her quick decision to chakra jump to a nearby building, leaving him behind.

**_No way_**, she thought to herself,**_ not this time_**. The truth is, she was over him. She had decided this when she saw him with some jounin woman, flirting and touching her in public. If he can mess around, so can she. She was young anyways, and she deserved more than someone who smelled like saliva all the time. She was not to be made a fool of, not anymore. Jumping from building to building, she finally hopped off into an alley by HQ and dusted herself off before walking to the main road and heading to the door.

"Good Morning, Izzy-chan! Such a beautiful day to be youthful, right?" A booming voice behind her spoke, she turned around and chuckled, slightly bowing as she said:

"Hai, Guy-sensei. Good morning to you as well!"

"Twin Peaaaaaaaaks!" Shouted Tenten as she came around the corner running, arms wide open for a strong hug for her best friend. The girls laughed and they stumbled about in a hug.

"Hey, Tenten-chan! How was your mission?"

"Well, I had to escort some caravan to the next village over, and it was pretty boring. I missed you!" Tenten smiled as she pulled away.

"I missed you too!"

"Um, excuse me, Izanami-san, but I missed you as well. You are an awesome teammate and I hope that you are able to join us on our next mission." Lee stated, throwing her a thumbs up.

"Thanks, Lee! You get a hug too, c'mere!" She responded, bringing in the knucklehead for a side hug. He flushed a little as Guy gave him two excited thumbs up behind him.

"Well since you're keen on wasting the Hokage's time, I'm going to head inside." Ice cold Neji stated, stepping between Lee and Izanami to break them apart. She was taken aback. Clearing her throat and looking at the ground, she started to speak,

"Neji is right. Let's get inside and find out what this meeting is about!"

The group migrated to the inside of the building, making their way to the Hokage's office. They were silent as they walked through the halls, but Izanami was taking in the new scenery. She hadn't been summoned for missions since Pain attacked. The building was still being remade, and some rooms were taped off-limits. Still, the Leaf stood strong. Sasuke returned with the Juubi, and at the Five Kage Summit, they reassigned and resealed their beasts accordingly. Gaara, was reassigned as the One Tail. Naruto received the other half of the Nine Tail's chakra, and new Jinchuriki were chosen for the Two through Seven Tails. Those Jinchuriki were sent to Master Bee's island to train, and to master the control of their Tailed Beasts. War between the nations was unlikely, all of the villages had come to an agreement. Sasuke Uchiha would not be punished and should continue his training with the Leaf. The death of Danzo was tragic for the Council, but when Sasuke brought evidence of his clan's genocide(the arm of Danzo,) they couldn't tell him he was unjust.

"Hey! Naruto!" Lee exclaimed as the team stopped to let Team 7 pass. "What did she say, are you finally a chunin? Are you going on a mission?"

Izanami scanned the group for signs of sadness or negative reactions. She accidentally made eye contact with Sasuke, who's face was neutral until she did. He looked away quickly, confirming her suspicions that he was staring at her as she examined the 4 shinobi. **_Geez, he makes me feel so awkward_**. She thought to herself as a small flush crept upon her face.

"Yeah, she actually promoted me to Jounin!" Naruto said, throwing Lee a thumbs up. "I guess going Nine-Tails without hurting anybody really impressed her."

Team Guy, minus Neji, all exclaimed in awe.

"Yay, Naruto-chan!" Tenten cheered.

"Congratulations, Naruto, I always knew you were destined to be strong like me." Guy beamed, while Lee was deadpanned because he skipped rank.

"Good job, Naruto-senpai." Izanami squeaked out the honorific to her higher ranked friend, bowing to him slightly and she smiled a bit. The group looked her over, Sakura had a small pout on her face because she felt inferior to Izanami's looks, and Naruto flushing.

"Ah, it was nothing ya know?" He said, arms behind his head as he stretched out.

"Well it only took her three years. I'm glad you finally promoted, Naruto. You deserve it." Neji said.

Izanami looked over at him, she had never heard him say anything so.. _nice_.. It threw her off and she examined his face for any type of sarcasm or hidden meaning. He side eyed her, making contact and she flushed harder than she was before as she looked away.

**_Damn, it I'm always embarrassing myself!_**

Kakashi decided to end their visit by saying they had important training to do, and Naruto leads them out as Lee fist-bumped him with Sakura and Sasuke behind him and Lee lead his team to the Hokage's door. Tenten and Guy followed behind him leaving Izanami behind Neji. Kakashi waved at her as she walked past, his eyes showing that he was smiling underneath his mask. She looked at him with compassion in her eyes, she always liked Kakashi. He was reserved, like her, and never judged her from what people gossiped. They've exchanged more than a few conversations, at the library or in her secret reading spots that she hadn't known were not much of a secret. They were like friends but had more of a teacher-student relationship. She bit her lip slightly as she waved back, thinking about what he must look like under his mask. This is the first time he's seen her without hers, it made her nervous to wonder what he thought of her freckles and the constant slight flush she carried on her face. As the ninja filed into the room, they stood tall in front of Tsunade, arms behind their backs in respect, awaiting orders. From Tsunade's perspective, she looked over the group from left to right;

"Lee, Tenten, Izanami, and Neji" she spoke strongly, a small smirk on her face as she held her fingertips together in front of her.

"Hai, m'lady!" The quartet spoke.

"Team Guy did an excellent job on their individual missions this weekend. Thank you for taking care of those for me," she said, turning a few pages of the folder in front of her. "But today, we have another matter in our hands. Izanami Akiyama, please step forward."

**_Oh, fuck_**.

And so she did, her chin high and arms tight to her side like the soldier she was, fists slightly balled to contain herself.

**_Please don't yell at me_**.

"Izanami, you have made a lot of progress these past three years. I see you tested out of the academy in record time, Lord Third had a lot to say about how promising of a student you were. Your senseis, Guy and Kurenai, both hold you to a high standard despite your... experiences." She stated, looking her in the eyes as she stood up and walked to her face. "That is why today, I am promoting you to Chunin." She said, arms crossed with a smile.

**_Wait, what?! But I haven't even taken the Chunin Exam yet!_**

There was a moment as she took the information in. Izanami stood still in shock as Tsunade furrowed her brow, "Hello? Did you hear what I just said?" A little irritation in her voice, startled Izanami. She took a gulp and started to speak softly,

"Y-Yes, m'lady. I heard you, I-I just am confused. I don-" She was interrupted by an angered voice "She hasn't even taken the Chunin Exams, ma'am." Neji said sternly, taking a step forward.

**_Huh? Why is Neji upset?_**

"Well with the next exams being pushed off until the Tower is rebuilt, I am promoting the best genin I have left." Tsunade glared at the Jounin, "Are you questioning my ability to rank my ninja, Neji-kun?" her voice hinting at a warning.

"No, ma'am! I just think Akiyama-kun should have more experience before she reaches Chunin." he stated, the honorific he used making Izanami insecure.

"And what gives you the authority, to decide that?"

"Well, I have worked with her these past three years, between my own B-rank missions. I just don't believe she is up to par with other Chunin, like Lee and Tenten." He said, bowing his head to the Hokage.

Tsunade paused for a moment, taping her fingers on her arm in anger.

"Unfortunately, you make a weak point. Regardless of your opinion of your teammate, she is going to be promoted to Chunin. But since you think she needs more experience, I am assigning you to be her mentor." Neji gasped as he looked at the Hokage with anger

"But, ma'am-"

"No buts! Congratulations on promoting, Izanami-san. You well earned it, and I hope to hear good things from you soon. You are all dismissed.

Tears welled up in Izanami's eyes.

"Hai, ma'am!" the quartet said, turning about face and filing out the door.

"Oh my god congrats, Izzy! We have to celebrate!" Tenten exclaimed, jumping onto Izanami's back as they left. "Dinner at my place!? Oh! Now you can move into Chunin apartments! Come live with Hinata-chan and I! We have an extra bedroom!" Izanami laughed her tears away, still in shock.

"Good job, Izanami!" Lee patted her on the back.

"Ah, yes, my pupils are sure to be the strongest yet! You lot have the day off, I shall head off to plan a dinner party for this weekend in honor of this promotion!" Guy said, giving Izanami's shoulder a squeeze and leaving the building.

"Thanks, guys," she said softly, rubbing her neck softly. "I guess I'll head home and pack, Tenten can you go gather Hinata-chan for dinner tonight?"

"Of course! Dress nice!" The girl giggled as she left, with Lee tagging along. Izanami let out a deep breath, hanging her shoulders low as they left.

**_Man, I should be happy about this. But what Neji said really hurt me. I guess today wasn't any different._**

"Congratulations." His sharp-toned voice startled her as she turned back to look at him.

"Oh, Neji-san, I didn't know you were still here, heh." She chuckled softly, "Thanks." Not knowing what to say, after he had just basically left her out to die in there. She was walking toward the door when he stopped her, placing his hand on her shoulder to face him.

"You don't deserve it. I've seen you fight, mother-killer." He mumbled, "You sit back, waiting for others to take charge, letting us do the work for you."

There go the tears welling up again.

"N-No I don't! I back you guys up, I'm supposed to be the defense. I was the last person to join the team, I-"

"Excuses!" He shouted, pushing her shoulder back. She grabbed it, not expecting him to hit her so hard. She opened her mouth to speak, "Save it. I don't want to hear anymore from you. After you pack, we're going to train. Then you may head to your stupid dinner with your friends."

**_Why is he being so mean to me?_**

Still upset, she nodded and walked out the door, him following closely. They headed to her apartment and he followed her inside.

"Would you like something to drink?" She asked softly, removing her shoes at the door.

"No." He said coldly, examining the studio in front of him, "I'll be waiting at the table."

He walked past her, straight to her dining area. She assumed he used Byakugan to scan her apartment for somewhere away from sight to sit. She sighed and began to pack. Starting with the bathroom where she had the least amount of items and moving to her makeshift bedroom behind a curtain, picking up dirty clothes and placing them in a bag to ensure she washes them later.

**_This is such a drag, why didn't he even offer to help if he was just gonna sit there?_**

She wondered as she turned the radio on to fill the silence. She moved onto her dressers and folded her clothes neatly in the box the apartments donated when she arrived. She didnt have much, just a few ninja outfits and undergarments. Mostly lace or fishnet undershirts and bras or panties. She had a few going out outfits, from when Tenten dragged her to a festival to shop and a few items she borrowed or that got left at her house.

Next, she emptied out the jewelry box Hinata got her for her 17th birthday. Examining each earring and necklace first before placing them neatly inside, and wrapping the box in a shirt for safe keeping. She packed her night bag for tonight's slumber party/move in party, and collected a few items around the house as Neji watched. She took pictures off the walls, and little nicknacks down from tables, collectibles from her study desk, as well as books from the Library. After everything was packed, she looked to Neji, who was going through the ninja pouch on the table. Quickly, she realized which bag he was going through, and went to stop him, "He-Hey! Don't touch those!" She stumbled on her words and she grabbed the pouch from him, a single kunai in his hand. "Why? Don't you think I know how to handle these?"

"No! I mean- It's not that. Those kunai. Um.. They're very special to me." She said, palm out to get it back.

Neji furrowed his brows as he examined the kunai. "They look like ordinary kunai to me, if not a little out of date." He said, matter-of-factly, refusing to hand it over.

"They were my _father's_." She said, a little bit of annoyance in her voice, "He died before I could meet him." Sadness in her eyes put warmth in Neji's heart and he placed it in her hand, and she walked away to pack the pouch as well, the kunai still in her hand. A few seconds had past once Neji spoke:

"Well, at least he didn't have to know you killed his wi-" his words were cut off as he ducked, Kunai stuck in the wall behind his shoulders. Izanami was trembling in anger as he looked up at her.

"Don't you _dare_." She spat.

In an instant Neji had her pinned up against the kitchen wall behind her by her throat, dangerously close to her face.

"Or _what_? You gonna kill me too?" He growled as he spoke in her face, his grip tightening on her neck. "You know, I hate people who turn against their families. How can you kill someone who never did anything to hurt you?!" Izanami was gasping for air.

"It was... An accident.. We were t..training." she was kicking her legs in protest, trying to pry his hand from her throat.

"Bullshit."

"Well, at least he didn't have to know you killed his wif-" his words were cut off as he ducked, a Kunai was stuck in the wall behind his shoulders. Izanami was beyond angry, she had always had a crush on him, and this is who he really is?

"Or_what_? You gonna kill me too?" He growled as he spoke in her face, his grip tightening on her neck. "You know what, I hate people who turn against their families. _How can you kill someone who never did anything to hurt you_?" Izanami was gasping for air.

"It was... An accident.. We were t..training." she was kicking her legs in protest, trying to pry his hand from her throat.

"Bullshit."

"N-No. Im.." She gasped for air, "Serious." Her eyes pleading for him to believe her words.

"And why should I believe you?" He spat, loosening his grip enough for her to talk.

"Because, if I had killed her on purpose, I wouldn't be alive. Either by the decision of the Council or by my own doing! Don't you understand?! I would've killed myself by now if I did killed her on purpose!" She yelled, pulling his hand off her, and flipping him onto the ground, holding him down with her chakra.

"I loved my mom. She meant _everything_ to me!" She was crying now, tears hitting the ground below, "She taught me all I needed to know about who I am and how to be a shinobi! If I could, I would go back and miss! DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO BE A YOUNG WOMAN WITHOUT HER MOTHER TO GUIDE HER?!"

Now in full breakdown mode, her arms started shaking, it was obvious she wasn't trying hard to pin him anymore and he could easily escape, but instead, he studied her from below.

"I've been.. through so much shit... Without her. I wish she would be here... To help me when I'm down about some guy, or after a bad day, or to take me shopping when I don't have missions!" She sniffled, letting out soft sobs as she wiped her face.

"I wish I could have been a normal girl. Someone who has parents to be proud of her." She sighed, and sat up, looking at the boy beneath her.

A few moments passed as they looked over each other. Him scanning her for a sign that would show him she was lying so that he can continue to hate her, and her waiting for him to say something. Neji couldn't help but notice the soft freckles on her face, and how her plump lips settled in a small pout as she looked him over. He suddenly got the urge to run his fingers down her cheek and wipe her tears away, but he restrained. His eyes trailed down to her chest, noticing her strong shoulders and exposed collarbone. Moving his hands free from her grasp, he gently grabbed her wrists and moved her hands to his chest. He thought about how she was always kind to him even when he was cold, and how resilient she was in battle. Was she telling the truth? Would she the type of person who would commit suicide if she hurt the people she loved? Short answer: Yes. And Neji knew that from the days Izanami spent completely depressed after a fight with Tenten or Hinata.

"I'm sure she is proud of you." He said softly, his demeanor changed with this new information. "She would be happy to know how her daughter has grown into a powerful, and smart Kunoichi." She smiled a bit, relieved he believed her.

"Thanks, Neji-san." She said, bringing her hands off his chest to wipe her tears away. He seemed sincere enough, and it made her happy.

**_He looks so different now. He's softened up his stern face and his eyes look kinder as he speaks to me. The way his necklace kind of lays across his musclar chest, I- Did I just call him muscular? Well, he is._**

"Yeah." He began to walk his hands back behind him to sit up, but Izanami was in his way.

She was still straddled over his lap. She flushed a bit when she looked at her legs and realized, "Oh! I'm s-sorry, let me-" she was cut off by his hand on her neck, thumb grazing over the slight mark he left on her, eventually lining her lips.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, I shouldn't have assumed anything about you." He said, he suddenly realized that he was always attracted to her, and that he only denied it because he hated her for killing her mother. But now that he knows she didn't have ill intentions, because she just couldn't have he is able to act on it.

She was looking at him in the eyes, not seeing that he had pulled her close. It only made the warmth in her belly grow.

"It-It's okay, most people do." She chuckled a bit, her breath shaky from noticing a glint of desire in his eyes and change in his heart rate.

"Let me make it up to you." He whispered, running his free hand up her leg, gently cupping her butt and he pulled her in for a kiss.

**_Oh my god. Is this really happening?_**


	3. Chapter 3: Listen to Your Senpai (smut)

Kissed.

Groped.

_Fucked._

She hadn't been any of those things in two months. Two months spent in cold showers and late night wet dreams of her nights with Genma. She depended on her pervy thoughts of what Kakashi looked like under his mask or her daydreams of Kiba's abs from the party at the co-ed bathhouse, or when Shikamaru accidentally grabbed her boob when helping her climb the ledge of rock for a higher view of an area. She also dreamt of Neji, when he cleans up for important events and at parties in the woods after bigger grouped missions.

He had always dreamt of this with her, he could only imagine how soft her lips felt, how warm her skin was, how sweet the sound of the moans she muttered out was, as he lay passionate and desperate kisses on her skin. A feverish frenzy came over her, grabbing a fistful of his hair gently with one hand, and caressing his shoulder with the other. God, he felt so soft, so tender, like he was afraid to mess up. It made her wet just thinking about how good he was, hungrily kissing her while grinding her hips onto his lap so slowly she would become impatient as she moved her hand from his shoulder and onto his hand, pushing it down to the hem of her jeans. She unbuttoned and unzipped her pants, pulling them down with her tights slightly and pushing his hand down her panties. He hardened at the feeling of her wetness, turned on by how much she was enjoying it, and instantly slipped his middle two fingers inside her.

"Oh, god," she exclaimed and bit down on his shoulder a little, riding his hand desperately.

_**I can't believe I'm doing this, I've never wanted something- no,**_ **someone** **so bad**.

She leaned her head back and Neji brought his free hand up into her hair, pulling it down a bit as he watches her eyes squeeze shut above him. He had always imagined that her freckles would deepen as her face flushed in pleasure, and watching it in person was even more invigorating than he could ever dream.

"You're so captivating to watch, baby girl," he cooed, staring at her face as he pumped his fingers inside her. His underwear was starting to hurt from how tight it became, and he released her hair to undo his own zipper and button, reaching into his boxers to free his throbbing erection from the pressure and pumping it softly.

"Is this okay?" he asked her, she nodded in response and he removed his fingers from inside her and positioned her over him.

"Are you sure?" He asked again, his eyes filled with worry.

"Yes, Neji-senpai, I want you inside of me." she whined, wanting for him to enter already.

"...Say that again, p-please." He whispered in her ear, his breath shaky as he teased her with the tip, rubbing it up and down her slit. "Tell me you want me. Ca-call me senpai again." She cupped his face with her hands, pressing her forehead against his roughly as she begged, "Please, Senpai, I want you inside of me." and with that, he crashed her hips onto his, filling her up in one forced push.

"Fuck!" She moaned, her face scrunched in pleasure, and he lost it.

Flipping them over so he was on top of his knees and holding her legs underneath the knee with his elbows by the bend in her knees and hands gripping onto her hips as he thrust his body into hers. She hadn't warmed up to his length yet, but she was in bliss, he was scraping her walls so well she could hardly breathe.

"Oh, Neji-senpai, you feel so good." she had sprawled her arms about and brought them back in to remove her top and undershirt, arching her back to remove it, and underneath she was braless. She rubbed her breasts, rolling her nipples between her fingers as she stared Neji in the eyes. She wanted him to know how good it was by seeing her reaction as he pounded into her. he wrapped his arms around the arch under her back and sucked on her right nipple as he picked her up, and pinned her back against the wall. She jumped into his arms so he could lift her legs up high, giving her the full length of him with each deep stroke. He was moaning in her ear, telling her how wet she was, how soft she felt, how sweet her arousal tasted after he sucked on his fingers, and she loved every second of it.

"You are so beautiful, Nami. I want to be inside you for a long time, don't come too quickly now." He smirked into her neck as she gasped for air, his strokes knocking her wind out and sparking the most pleasurable feeling she's ever experienced. He's definitely bigger than Genma. She thought, unable to control the sounds she was making.

"I don't think I'm gonna last too long, senpai, I can feel you in my stomach. I'm gonna come soon." She furrowed her brows, her eyes fluttering shut, as her eyes had rolled back into her lids. Neji groaned the way his name rolled off her tongue could bring him over the edge.

"Oh, fuck. You are so fucking sexy, aijin." He whispered. Calling her his lover made Izanami go over the edge, she had always wanted to be validated while being intimate. "N-Neji, I, oh! I'm coming!" she whined, her legs shaking in pleasure as she released her climax onto his dick. He was picking up the pace as she fell, she bit down on his neck harder this time, scratching his lower back as she desperately squeezed his body into hers, wanting him to fill her all the way up as she came down. He started to slow down and pulled out of her quickly, replacing her with his hand.

"Get on your knees, aijin."

"Hai, senpai" She dropped down to meet his penis, looking up at him as she opened her mouth for him. She held her hand over his, pressing the tip into her tongue, and staring into his eyes as he came. He orgasmed hard, getting his nut all over her face, tongue, and neck. She was the embodiment of sex to him. She could bend him to her will so long as he could continue to make her look the way she did now; Her hair tousled and loose from it's half ponytail, her cheeks red and covered in cum, her eyes hazy as she quivered in ecstasy. She sucked the remainder off his tip, and he pulled her up for a kiss by the back of her neck, not caring about his nut on her tongue.

He put himself away and readjusted his pants, passionately tongue kissing his new sex partner. They parted and he started to speak when she said, "This can't happen again," he chuckled.

"Of course not, but... you know you can't resist me," he smirked as he picked up her clothes from their feet and handed them to her, walking into her bathroom to pee.

She smiled to herself and shook her head as she went to the kitchen to wash her face and chest, and came back to her bag of laundry to throw her whole outfit in. She took her spare clothes out of her night bag: A turtle neck long sleeve crop top with a small straight skater skirt and thigh-high close-toed ninja sandals, this time not forgetting to add her face mask. Neji came back and hummed softly as he went to pick up some boxes. **So much for the training.**

"You look nice, Izanami-chan." He smiled, something he's never done around her.

"Thank you Neji-chan, now it's my turn to pee." She rushed into the bathroom, excited to tell Tenten and Hinata of her hook up when she got to their apartment. When they arrived, Neji cleared his throat.

"So, um, you can't tell anyone about earlier." He said in a hushed tone.

"Trust me, I had no intention of doing that." She assured him with a smile.

"No, really, I mean it. If anybody finds out, Ino will kill me for cheating on her."

**EXCUSE ME?**

This caught Izanami off guard, and she had no time to respond because she almost dropped the box she was carrying out of shock when a pair of hands, and a snout, caught it with her.

"Woah, there!" Kiba shouted he'd rushed to catch the box in case she actually had it hit the ground, "Do you need help, Izzy-san?"

"Oh, no, thank you Kiba-san and Akamaru, Neji and I can handle it. He's helping me move into Hinata & Tenten's apartment." She bowed slightly to him for helping her and kept walking.

"Oh, alright. See you around then!" He yelled after her, watching her butt as she walked up the stairs. "God, Neji-kun, you are so lucky you get to have her on your team." he clicked his tongue and let out a sigh in envy as he smacked Neji on his back and left. Neji shook his head and followed Izanami, deep down agreeing with the dog boy.

"Twin Peaaaaaks! You're heeeeere!" Tenten exclaimed, giggling as she took a sip from her wine glass. She wasn't of age, but Tenten knew her way around men who were though. She could be convincing if she wanted to, and her collection of Sake was proof of that. Guys would literally buy them for her if she said she left her ID at home. No payment needed.

"Ah, Nami-kun you're home!" Hinata came around the corner, dressed down in a satin lilac robe and pajama pants.

"Hina-kun! So good to see you, I feel like we haven't seen each other in forever!" Izanami exclaimed, it really had been a few months since she saw Hinata, she was always busy on a mission or dealing with her royal life.

"What's Neji-san doing here?" Hinata asked, "N-Not that it upsets me or anything, I just wanted to know if he was coming to celebrate now or at your party too."

"What party, Hinata-san? Izanami-san didn't mention a party." Neji said

"O-Oh, well, it was supposed to be a surprise, I guess." She flushed, embarrassed that she let that secret out.

"Hina-kun! I swear I can't keep a secret with you!" Tenten scolded her while grabbing Izanami's laundry basket and pushing the group further into the apartment.

She stopped at the washer and dryer to show Izanami where it was, and start her first wash, and then at every spot in the living room before heading to their spare bedroom. The group helped her unpack; Neji dealing with her shoes and mission important items like Shuriken and Kunai, Tenten fixing her photos onto the walls, Hinata organizing the bathroom, and Izanami arranging her clothes by color in her closet. Her room was more of storage space, being the smallest of the three. She's never had roommates, either, so the thought of her inability to be alone now gave her anxiety. _**Maybe this can be temporary, and I can move into a one bedroom again.** _She thought. _**No, I need to be more social. My friends have my best interest in mind. I can only grow from this experience.**_

When it came time for dinner, Tenten admitted that there wasn't a party today, but set for the weekend, which she didn't tell Hinata because she thought if she knew everything she wouldn't be able to avoid telling the secret. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to either way. Neji had looked over at Izanami a few times during their argument about secrets, hoping she would understand that he was trying to say 'See this is exactly why I said keep it between us!' She smiled at him as she sat back and took a drink from her water, sliding her foot into his lap under the table. He quickly made eye contact with her and raised an eyebrow as a warning, pushing her foot away. She made puppy eyes at him and looked back at her friends, placing her head into her hands.

"Well, either way, I'm glad you guys told me. I rather know it's coming so I can prepare for it." She explained; "Lots of people, crowded in a house drunk or smoking inside, it just takes me a while to get used to the idea before I can actually be in the situation."

Truth be told, the idea of a party made her nervous, her anxiety kicking in with all the possibilities that could happen.

"Yeah, but at least you know them personally." Hinata said softly, "It's mostly just other Chunin and some Jounin."

"You're right, Hina-kun." She said with a sigh, finishing her food and taking the bottle of wine in a bucket of ice on the table to pour herself a glass.

"Well, I must be going, thank you for inviting me to stay for dinner, Tenten-san and Hinata-san" Neji said, after clearing the table of dishes and washing them.

"Of course, Neji-san!" Tenten said with a little slur, she had been drinking a little too much for a small celebratory dinner. "You're always welcome here, we really need to have team dinners- hic, or something more often." She hiccuped, placing her hand on his should for a squeeze. He nodded as response and looked to Izanami before he headed towards the door.

"I'll walk you out," She said after downing her first glass, "It's the respectful thing to do anyway." She smiled as she opened the door for him.

"Bye Neji-san!" The other two girls yelled from the kitchen, putting away their dishes and drinking some more.

It was chilly outside, Izanami kicked herself mentally for not grabbing a coat before heading down the stairs. **It's just for a minute**, she thought. They walked down the steps in silence, the wind whispering to the trees as it blew. Neji could hear her small shivering by the time they reached the bottom of the staircase.

"You didn't have to walk me out, I could've found my way." He felt bad as he faced her, her small frame holding herself together.

"No I wanted to," She smiled while looking up at him, relieved that they finally worked out their differences, "I wanted to thank you, for believing me earlier. Not many people in Konoha know my side of the story. It's nice to know that people are open to changing their opinion of me."

Neji admired her honesty, his heart raced at the sight of the sincerity in her eyes, not to mention how the wine made her cheeks rosy and the way she was blinking at him. But he knew he couldn't commit to her. He felt wrong for earlier and hated how he betrayed Ino like that. He had always carried the crush he had on Izanami deep within, though. He just never could act on it, refusing to acknowledge someone he thought was a monster. When the opportunity was thrown at him, however, he couldn't resist giving in unto her. He'd finally gotten to experience what he could've only previously imagined. But... now what?

"You know, we should probably train for real next time." He smirked as he put his hands in his pocket. "Just saying." Izanami laughed a little and shook her head.

"You bet." She said. But now a frown grew across her face, "But... I wouldn't have done that... If, you know, you had told me about Ino." She was angry with him, she didn't want to be the reason someone was heartbroken.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I was gonna leave her anyways. I just needed an excuse."

It didn't help her guilt, but it was nice to know that he could be an option for her down the road.

"Hm. Okay, well, goodnight Neji-kun." She hugged him quickly and started her return up the stairs.

"Hey! Nami-chan!" Down by the road, Kiba stumbled into the complex's front yard. "What're you guys doing out here?"

"Hey Kiba-chan! Nothing, Neji stayed for dinner and the girls and I are going to drink and watch movies, wanna come up?" She offered, she always loved her male friends when they got drunk. They would confide in her about all the goings on in the Chunin/Jounin drama world or confess their feelings about some girl/guy.

"Hell yeah!" he ran up the stairs before her.

"Goodnight, aij- I mean, Nami-kun." Neji said to her, hoping inside that she wasn't going to do anything with Kiba. "But who am I to ask that of her?" He said to himself as he walked home.

Upstairs, Hinata had loosened up from the alcohol.

"This is so great, I'm so excited for us to live together. It'll be like a slumber party but every night!" She shouted, squealing in excitement. She actually was scared, she wasn't sure how to react when Tenten suggest Izanami moved in. Although they had been friends for years, Izanami and Hinata haven't always been on good terms.

There were times when Hinata questioned who Izanami truly was. Her own clan would give her funny looks when they would see their princess hanging around the girl who killed her mom. She had heard her side of the story, but unfortunately, her family wouldn't let her believe her best friend. She couldn't defend her without being told she was manipulated. And she couldn't help but wonder at times if she had been. Hinata always trusted people outside her clan too easily, and it only ever got her hurt. But she wanted to believe in Izanami because she has never given her reason not to.

"I hope you guys don't mind, I invited Kiba to join us tonight," Izanami said as she closed the door.

"Um, sure! So long as he can behave himself." Tenten joked.

"Don't worry, I'm a good boy." Kiba assured her, "I won't get into too much trouble." they laughed.

**What a crazy day****, **Izanami thought to herself. **I wish you could be here to meet my friends, mom.**

* * *

Notes:

Well, that was interesting. I hope it's clear how Neji wanted her prior to this situation, but he never let himself do anything about it.  
Do you like how I portrayed him?  
Any kinks you'd like me to establish? Or would you prefer to see Izanami sleep with other guys too?


	4. Chapter 4: How She Changed

The night almost creeped itself away, Izanami's drunken stories about missions and Hinata's vents about how she felt for Naruto seemed to fill the minutes with words. Izanami understood how she felt; she could relate by comparing her experience with Genma to Hinata's experience with Naruto. The only difference being, Naruto hasn't even kissed Hinata yet, let alone taken her virginity.

"There's always other options," Tenten assured her, speaking from experience. "You know when I stopped chasing Neji-san around, I found that other guys were waiting around for me to do it." She winked at Hinata, hoping to encourage her promiscuity.

"I see. But, what if once I stop liking Naruto, he starts to like me?" Hinata pouted, concerned with her dilemma.

"Then, just use him as a hook up," Kiba suggested, shrugging his shoulders in a drunken manner, "I mean, you gotta get your pleasure out of him somehow. That's what Ino and Sai do."

_**Hold up, did he just say**__** Ino**__**?**_

"Wait, but I thought Ino and Neji were dating." Izanami questioned him as she furrowed her brows in confusion

"Yeah, but she tells Sai that she doesn't feel anything for Neji. I think she's too worried she's gonna break his heart if she splits up with him," Kiba made Izanami laugh, and the group followed her suit.

"Geez, I don't know if I could ever betray someone like that," Hinata spoke, collecting the empty cups, and grabbing the empty bottle to put away.

"I guesssss. But if yhou think ab-_hic-_out it, we're yOung. We have the rest of our lives to commit to someone. Why add more -_hic_\- restriction to yourself now? When you have time to fall in love." Kiba started slurring and hiccupping, signs that he was ready to sleep.

_**Hmm, if that's how things really are, can I get away with it too? In the civilian world, women who were promiscuous were frowned upon. Then again, being a kunoichi was frowned upon in that same aspect. Which is why we choose to dress provocatively anyways.**_

"I agree with Kiba-san!" Shouted Tenten, falling backward off her plush chair, "Oof! Oh god, I think I'm gonna go throw up now." She groaned, making a beeline for her bedroom.

"I think you're ready for bed, too, Kiba," Izanami giggled at him as he was nodding off on the couch. "You can sleep in my bed if it's more comfortable? And you'll be closer to the bathroom, ya know in case you throw up." She said, shaking his shoulder a bit to get him to listen.

"Hng... Ye_-hic-_Yeah. You're right." He mumbled and held his hand out for assistance. Izanami pulled him up from the couch, wrapping his arm around her shoulders lazily.

"Goodnight, Hina-kun!" Izanami said, slightly raising her voice to be heard all the way in the kitchen, and she headed to her room with Kiba. The pair stumbled about, and she giggled when he would trip or bump into something, initially apologizing and eventually plopping him onto her bed without a care.

_**Damn, he's so fucking heavy.**_

She turned to her closet, peeling off her mask and tossing it onto a chair in the corner of her room, along with her crop top. She turned back to make sure Kiba was sleeping before pulling her skirt down and grabbing a big t-shirt and kicking off her boots. When she tossed her boots in the closet, she quickly looked back, hoping he didn't wake. Apparently, though, he had been awake the entire time. She knew because when she looked at him, he quickly shut his eyes and pretended to sleep.

"Kiba! You idiot, I thought you were asleep! Did you _watch me __change?"_

She smacked him with the bra she just removed, "You're worse than Naruto!" Flustered, she hopped into the bed and he sat up, taking his shoes off as he stared at her in a drunken haze.

"And if I did, so what?" He hiccupped, struggling to remove his shirt. His arms got stuck and Izanami let out a loud laugh, "Um, may I ask for some assistance, Nami-chan"

She shook her head as she helped the drunk remove his shirt. He tossed it on to the floor after it was off and returned to facing her. His eyes twinkling as he blinked slowly- struggling to stay awake. She nodded and turned away, scooting herself under her quilted duvet.

"Do you care if I sleep in my boxers, Nami?" He asked.

"No, I don't care, Kiba" She responded in a monotone, and sleepy voice.

The shinobi proceeded in removing his pants, and his socks as well. When he was done, he looked over the kunoichi, watching the duvet covering her move as she breathed deeply. Taking a risk, he scooted close behind her, tucking his arm under his pillow and crawling his fingers up her side. She knew what he wanted, and scooted back into his body, grabbing his wandering hand and wrapping it around her body.

_**There's no harm in spooning a friend, right?**_

His breaths started to slow as he nuzzled the crook of her neck, inhaling her aroma. He loved the way she smelled. Her scent was an intoxicating mix of caramel, vanilla, bamboo, and salt. He secretly sniffed her all the time, on missions, or at parties. His sense of smell being stronger than non-Inuzuka shinobi, he learned the different ways his friends smelled and memorized it. This one was his favorite, however. In the past three years, he learned how constantly she stayed the favorite scent. She always smelled the same, save for when it was her time of the month though. Her pheromones were pungent then, and it took all his power to resist taking her to a remote location and fucking his animalistic urges out of her the second he could smell her. So, naturally, he would avoid coming in contact with her during that time. He got his fun out in other women, not knowing if she was into being one of his hook-ups or not. She always seemed to treat him like a good friend, and never made a move on him so he assumed she wouldn't like to fuck him.

The reality was the contrary, however, Izanami only ever saw him a few times a month, if at all. She thought he had no interest in a girl like her. _**He's into talkative, expressive girls like Ino**_. She would tell herself after a questionable interaction with him. She would never imagine she'd have a chance with him, being as quiet or reserved as she is. The two ran in circles avoiding getting into _those_ types of feelings for one another.

In the morning, Izanami opened her eyes slowly, wincing at the bright sun shining into the hungover girl's room. Quickly she realized she was laying atop Kiba's chest, her arm and leg wrapped over his resting, half-naked- body. His right arm had been rested gently over her wrapped leg, holding onto her by gripping the back of her thigh, exposing her underwear—and ass, since she was not wearing shorts. His other arm draped over her back, and she sensed him caressing her back slowly. _**How long has he been awake? Why didn't he wake me up to move?**_ She was slightly embarrassed of herself. She didn't intend on full blown cuddling the kid; just small spooning was pushing the boundaries enough!

"Morning." He said as she looked up at him with a flushed face, "How'd you sleep?"

"Good, sorry, I didn't mean to- "

"It's okay, I don't mind. It comes with the territory of bedsharing." He smirked, adjusting his body by pulling her up higher by her wrapped leg to make her straddle his stomach. Her face heated up even more as she looked him in the eyes, he could feel the warmth between her legs grow as she noticed his muscular arms and torso.

"I, uh, I should probably get in the shower." She said awkwardly, chuckling her anxieties off as she unmounted herself and headed to the bathroom. Not realizing she only messed up by swinging her legs off the bed, her arousal's smell filling his lungs as he inhaled. He licked his lips at her as she walked into the bathroom, throwing her a wink when she turned to close the door.

_**Oh fuck, **__**he knows**__** he's fucking hot. I can't take this tension. Escaping was my best bet, right? Ugh, who am I kidding, I'm practically soaked.**_

She ripped her clothes off as the shower ran. She jumped into the cold water with a deep exhale. _**That was too close.**_ She thought, washing the fluids off of her vagina. _**Does he actually want me or was he joking? He's so hard to read because he has such a flirtatious personality. And on top of that, he's slept with multiple girls! How do I know what to do? Mom, why can't you answer me? Did you ever feel this way around guys?**_

She continued to lower in temperature as the water washed her "sins" away. She handled her hair and scrubbed her favorite bamboo-scented body wash into her body. She was attempting to exfoliate herself of her temptations. She was failing, but at least she smelled clean now.

She walked out in her towel, surprised to see a made bed and no sign of Kiba. She figured he left and changed into some clothes appropriate for her mission today. She has to meet up with some other chosen ninja at the Hokage's office for a briefing in a couple of hours.

_**Okay, so how do I dress for this?**_

She wondered, going through her closet for mission clothes suited for a forest environment, since the mission was to go to the Village Hidden in the Sand to guard a few caravans headed to the vendor festival here in the Leaf. Which meant coming back through the forest in order to avoid being out in the open. She put her undergarments on first; a pair of navy-blue cotton cheeky-styled panties with a plain white trim, and a navy-blue bra of the same trim. Her DD sized breasts looked bigger in bras for whatever reason. She decided on a pair of jeans with a dark blue, almost black wash; they were high-waisted with three buttons to ensure her tummy held in place. Only her arms and a bit of skin between her top and jeans was exposed. Her forest green top was made of Spandex, and the neck was so high it also covered her face the way she liked it. it zipped up in the back, so she decided to pull her curls into a tight high ponytail, making sure her hair was smooth by combing and re-combing it back with mousse and leaving her bangs to the side and braiding the hair in the ponytail. She decided to put on some mascara, and line her lids with black eyeliner, leaving a sharp pointed edge at the outer corner of her eyes, and a thinner version by her tear duct. She now had cat eyes and sharpened her naturally long fingernails into a pointed coffin shape before packing her mission bag and heading into the kitchen.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty." Izanami chimed to a very clearly hungover Tenten, who was hunched over in the dining table desperately grasping the cup of tea in front of her with one hand and resting her forehead in the palm of the other.

"Fuck off, Izanami" was her response, as well as a groan.

"Would you like be to fix you some spicy ramen? It will help with the headache."

"Please. And make extra for Hina-kun too, she's still in bed avoiding daylight."

Izanami chuckled softly in response as she kissed her friend's head and made her way to the kitchen, scanning the open area for signs of Kiba.

"Your dog boy left to his apartment upstairs, he said he'd be back to walk with you to the Hokage's office." Tenten teased, knowing Izanami had taken Kiba to bed last night.

"He's not _my_ dog boy," Izanami said as she gathered the ingredients together. She had been to this apartment plenty enough to know where they kept everything. She did do most of their house work for them, after all. They were always on long C-rank and B-rank missions and left her the keys to watch over their pet fish & dust their house down. "And not that it's important or anything, but we literally just slept together. No funny business or anything." She continued as she set some of the chicken she cut in cubes to boil in a large pot of seasoned water.

"I know! _But_ I also know that you probably really, really wanted to." Tenten giggled as she peeked over the doorway at her introverted friend. There was beat before she shouted: "You _DID_ want to! You little slut!" as she slapped her best friends butt in play. The girls giggling together, as Izanami tried to shoulder her attacker off:

"Ah, BAKA! Don't make me cut a finger off, leave me be! So what if I-"

"SHUUUUUUUT UUUUUUUP!" Shouted Hinata as she stormed her way into the kitchen, hand raised as she entered, scaring the pair of loud girls with her powerful voice.

Her strikes landed on the back of their heads, first Izanami's and then Tenten's. They cried in pain and apologized to their hungover roomie,

"Baka! Why you have to hit me so hard?!" Screamed a flailing Tenten.

"Because that's how much my head hurts from your shouting, baka!" Hinata shouted back, flailing her arms just as hard.

"Well now mine hurts too!" Izanami whined, "And to think I was making you ramen!"

"You _all_ gave me a headache!" A voice from the hall yelled, the girls looked over to find Kiba leaning against the doorway, with Akamaru covering his ears with his paws. "Poor Akamaru, maybe I should've made him wait outside.

"Ah, Kiba-chan, you're early." Izanami beamed at him. She wasn't expecting him for another forty-five minutes due to her getting ready in a single hour instead of her usual two.

"Yeah, I thought we could hit Ichiraku before we head to HQ. But I guess I can wait for your ramen instead, less walking for me anyways." He shrugged with a smile, walking over to the group. "Do you need any help? Or were you too busy arguing over whatever you were arguing about to notice that your water is over-boiling?"

"Huh?!" The girls said in unison.

"Ahhh! Turn it down, hurry! Don't let it make a mess!" shouted a stressed out Tenten.

"Urrgggh, my _head_ BAKAAA!" Hinata cried, grabbing her skull by the temples.

Izanami turned the flame down as Kiba separated the feral cats fighting behind her. She added some vegetables and the noodles, and her extra spicy ramen was complete. The smell of the broth filled the air, hypnotizing the girls into stopping their rumble, and drooling over her shoulder.

"Hey, is it ready yet, Nami-chan? It smells soooo good!" Hinata cooed, clasping her hands together sweetly.

"Yeah! Do you think I could have the first bowl, Twin Peaks?" Tenten begged.

"Hey, I have a worse hangover than you." Hinata spat, frowning at her roomie.

Meanwhile, Izanami was serving two bowls of ramen. When she finished, she walked past the quarreling girls, leaving them deadpanned as she handed a bowl to Kiba.

"Hey! Why does _he_ get the first bowl, he wasn't even hungover!" Tenten argued.

"Because he's the only one not fighting somebody right now. _Serve each other if you wish to taste my ramen, and if you don't make up right now you can't have any."_ Izanami took Kiba's arm and pulled him to the dining smiled at the kunoichi; she cared deeply for her friends, and it was clear she could use her charisma to influence them tremendously.

They began to eat in silence, enjoying the meal together as Izanami begun to pick chicken from her bowl, placing it on a small plate and setting it in front of Akamaru. She always does this, and Akamaru was _not_ protesting. H_e_ attacked the plate and then started to lick Izanami's face as she giggled.

"You're welcome, oh my goodness, yes you're welcome baby boy thank you for all the kisses!" The kunoichi said in a baby voice. It made Kiba blush every time she did this, he always imagined that Akamaru liked all the girls he was with, '_**But that pup **__**never**__** does this with anyone save for me.' **_He thought_. _He felt like his dog was trying to steal his girl. Oh wait, he meant _the_ girl. _Or did he?_ Either way, he concluded that if she were to ask, he was red because of the spicy ramen. But that moment never came. Instead, Izanami was too busy sniffling and slurping as she ate. She didn't realize he was watching her until she happened to look up at him as she shoveled a ball of noodles into her mouth. Her facial reaction was now somewhat like his was previous to watching her eat, but more red. She quickly bit off the noodles that were hanging out of her mouth, and chewed so fast in order to swallow so she could speak;

"I'm so disgusting!" She said, bursting into laughter, and was about to say something else when Tenten and Hinata walked in, zero emotion on their faces and sitting down.

"We served each other but we didn't enjoy it." Tenten muttered, dipping her chopsticks into her bowl as she glared at Hinata.

"H-Hey! It's not my fault I don't like bean sprouts!" Hinata whined, embarrassed of her friend having to pick out the detested veggies.

"Or the egg, or big pieces of onion, or-" Tenten trailed off as her list was cut short by Hinata.

"Okay, I get it, I'm picky!" Hinata said, pouting.

Izanami giggled, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm picky too." She said, assuring her friend it was okay to be picky. "Not everyone can stuff their face without preference. We just have a different palette!" She winked at her friend, finishing her bowl off with a big _sluuuuurp_!

"Geez, no wonder you don't have a boyfriend Nami-kun." Tenten teased, pushing the girl's shoulder. "You're about as mannered as Chogi-san!" this made Kiba laugh, agreeing with Tenten as he put his bowl away.

"Well, even so, at least her ramen is good." He said, adding more flush to Izanami's face.

_**Wow, so even Kiba thinks I'm disgusting. So, he **__**was**__** joking around last night.**_

The pair said their goodbyes to their friends and headed off to the Hokage's office. On the way, Akamaru and Izanami chased each other in a game of tag. Kiba watched as his best friend laid kisses and playful bites upon the girl's body. He wished he could explore her body with his own tongue, and nibble on her skin with his own teeth. He didn't have much control over his body as the thought of her perfect ass bent over in front of him, his pants were suddenly too tight.

He slid his pack around to cover the growing tent in his pants. Heat creeped up his face as Izanami snuggled her face into Akamaru's neck. _**Think clean thoughts, think clean thoughts, wait, what's that smell? **_Kiba thought, taking a deep inhale while he caught up with Izanami and his dog. She was crouch-sitting in front of Akamaru, giving his head scratches behind his ears. Kiba's eyes widened when he realized what the smell was, _**Oh god- Now? While we're on a mission together? Holy shit, I'm in trouble... Can't hold myself back if she gets her period now of all times. **_Kiba was sweating, his animalistic Alpha instinct was not something he could resist for long periods of time. He pushed himself to whistle to Akamaru, calling him to his side.

"Let's get inside already," he grumbled, angry at no one but himself.

"Oh! Uhh, okay." Izanami was confused, _**What has gotten into him? **_She wondered._** Have I done something wrong? He usually loves to join in on Akamaru and I's game of tag. **_

They entered the building, running into Neji and Kakashi. They appeared to be waiting, which stopped Kiba and Izanami from walking past them to the Hokage's door.

"Oh, you've arrived." Kakashi noted, putting his book away and giving Izanami a small wave, "I began to think you got lost." He cracked, his eyes scrunching to show he was smiling.

"We must have, I had to stop for a cat stuck in a tree." Izanami shrugged, the lame excuse making Neji scoff and Kakashi chuckle.

"Well, we're just waiting on one more." Neji spoke. He seemed unimpressed by the way the two Chunin walked in together. A hint of jealousy glinted in his eyes.

"And here she is, fresh out of the hospital, of course." Kakashi stated, and Izanami looked up at the red headed girl with glasses in front of them.

"Hmph. Yeah, I guess I'm here. You Leaf ninja found me useful enough to not kill, I guess." Her gaze met Izanami's, and when their eyes locked, the redhead blushed, her eyes widening as she looked over Izanami's chakra.

"Another girl! Thank goodness. I felt awkward about this whole mission thing; I never liked being bitten by strange guys to restore their chakra without another girl around." She grabbed the back of her neck in embarrassment.

"I'm Izanami, nice to meet you…?" Izanami trailed off, hands in her pocket as she looked over the new girl.

"Karin! My name is Karin." She smiled, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Karin?" Izanami questioned, looking over at Kakashi for signs that she was a different person. He nodded to confirm it was, indeed, the sensory kunoichi that was found with Sasuke.

"Yup! Izanami, huh? Might I just say I plan to protect you my life. I get this sense that we will be great friends." Karin smiled, hoping to win her over.

"Hm. Yes, of course." Izanami wanted to believe that, but intel Karin was that she is some smart, horny chick with a sensory ability and chakra rejuvenation jutsu. _**Okay, so maybe she's talented as fuck. I still don't know her well enough to be friends. **_She thought, _**And, what if she isn't as friendly as she's coming off to be? I learned the hard way plenty enough to know not to trust someone you don't know yet.**_

They walked into the Hokage's office, awaiting her arrival to discuss the mission break down. The shinobi had known the basics when they received the summons, but now they would reiterate the mission in detail. There were chairs pulled around her desk, for the shinobi to sit as they planned their attacks (should it come to that.) They took their respective seats with Kakashi left standing with his arms crossed. He pulled out his book about the same time Izanami pulled out her journal. She started taking some notes on her encounter with Karin. She saved these notes as a tool for herself down the road. She liked to poetically explain the pros and cons of her experiences with everyone, her heart spilling onto the pages. She focused as she scribbled her new haiku about the strangely attractive girl, biting her lip slightly. Neji noticed Kiba shift in his chair, cross his arms and start to shake his leg in anticipation. He had never known Kiba to be impatient, so this was odd. Especially since he was breathing in so deeply, seemingly becoming a little more aggressive in his leg bouncing as he exhaled. He then turned to Neji and leaned forward.

"Hey, wanna swap seats with me?" he whispered. Karin was talking Izanami's ear off about how she hated Sakura for loving Sasuke as much as she did. She was being ignored, of course, but Izanami monotonously threw an occasional "Yeah," "Oh really," or "That's crazy" at her to make it seem like she cared.

"Why are you whispering? And what's wrong with your seat. I thought you called me lucky last night for being her teammate. Why don't you make your move?" He whispered back, being a better friend instead of a jealous fuck buddy. He had no right to claim Izanami, even though he really wanted to.

"It's a dog thing. I need to get away from her. At least until-" He was cut off by the door opening.

"Sorry for the delay, new information had come into the Intel Unit about the caravans you're escorting back." Tsunade said as she made her way to her desk. She slid her paperwork across the desk for the Chunin (and Jonin) to see.

Izanami shifted in her chair, "Um- Ma'am, could I be excused for a second? I need to use the restroom for a quick second." She asked in a mousy squeak. She knew she should've gone before they entered, but she thought Tsunade would be on time. She could feel her uterus ripping apart inside of her though, so it was only a few minutes until she'd bleed into her pants.

"And why do I have to dismiss you? Your first B-rank mission, and this is how it starts?" Tsunade asked, unimpressed by Izanami's request.

"Yes, ma'am I understand. It's just..." She grabbed her abdomen and shot the Hokage a look. Tsunade blinked and a small flush appeared, understanding what she meant.

"Of course. Be quick about it, then. Meanwhile, I'll address the new information with your team."

And quick Izanami was, it took her less than three minutes to run to the bathroom and insert a tampon, wash up and come back.

"As I was saying, here is the location of the festival. It's being held just south of the West gate to our village, its purpose is to draw travelers to the Leaf. Our own shops and restaurants will be celebrating the festival as well, so the gate will be left open for all to enter. A brief pat down and identification papers will be all the guards are asked to do at the festival, but we will have plainclothes guardsmen along the strip of our shops to watch for any signs of the remaining Akatsuki to appear." Tsunade explained, showing the shinobi the layout of the festival.

"Hai, m'lady. Where will we be posted?" Neji asked.

"You won't be. Your job is to head to the Sand, pick up the caravan full of our Ally's trade offers, and escort them through the forest, to the gate. Once you've made it back, you're free to explore the festival. But stick around in case any trouble arises." She stated, handing the four a ticket to the festival. "This isn't your payment, but it is complimentary of the Festival Curators for making sure their most important stall arrives safely."

"What can we expect on the way back from the Sand?" Izanami asked after taking notes about the previous statements. "Why would the remaining Akatsuki members Hidan, and Kisame dare to show their faces either here in town or attack the caravan if their leader is down?"

"They're still wanted criminals, and until their deaths are confirmed, they must be considered a threat at all times." She said, a stern look on her face. "We don't know much about their abilities other than that of Shikamaru's encounter with Hidan. To our knowledge he is stuck in the Nara forest, dying of malnutrition. But that forest is also the same one you must cross on your way back."

Izanami nodded, knowing that meant they could possibly pass over the spot where Hidan was stuck in.

"So that explains the need for so many sensory ninja," Kakashi assumed, raising his eyebrows in a questioning way.

"Yes, exactly. Neji is to scan the area of the forest prior to you guys entering on the way back. Kiba and Akamaru, you guys will do a quick run to any parts his Byakugan detects chakra. Hidan's scent will be hard to track, so that's where Karin comes in. Karin, you're to inform the group as soon as you sense his real chakra signature; We know he can manipulate his scent to throw people off."

"There's someone coming." She said immediately, they looked at her like she was stupid. _**Did she just give us an example of what she's going to say?**_ Izanami thought to herself as facepalmed, not hearing the door swing open.

"It's Sasuke-senpai!" Karin beamed as she span around in her chair the second he entered.

"What're you doing here, interrupting my briefing?" Tsunade spat at the previously rogue ninja.

"I have to go with them on this mission." Sasuke blatantly said.

"Excuse me? No, you're not to return to duty until you're cleared t-"

"I have some unfinished business with the Kazekage, Gaara." His tone was his usual cold-hiss. "The last time I spoke to him, he was still the angry soul I wanted to crush. I know I have made mistakes before, but I want to guard this caravan to show I am no longer a threat to the Leaf and their allies."

This was odd, Sasuke rarely spoke about when he went rogue. Since coming back to the Leaf and receiving the truth from Itachi during his burial, he had made it his goal to change the way the Leaf saw the Uchiha clan. He wanted to show they can be more helpful than a dangerous threat of power.

The group looked over at Tsunade, unsure of what to say. Neji had no problem destroying Sasuke before the village had been imploded. He would always be on guard around him, even if he claims to have change.

Kakashi cleared his throat, "Ma'am, I can keep an eye on him." he said, stepping forward to encourage Tsunade. "He and Izanami can be our attackers. Her talent in both Taijutsu and two-natured ninjutsu matches his strength. They both possess fire style jutsu; should we encounter a foe, the three of us will be invincible."

_**Wait, I am definitely not as good as Sasuke. Neji himself thinks I need work. Unless, he was just saying that to stop my promotion?**_

Tsunade pondered over the Jonin's testimony. "Izanami-kun." She said in an orderly voice

"Yes, ma'am!" the girl stood as she was called.

"Tell me you'll keep him in your sight. And do what needs to be done if things go awry."

Izanami gulped.

Taking a breath, she balled her fists and raised her voice:

"Hai. M-Ma'am. I can do it." Her confidence wavered, feeling uneasy about the possibility of taking Sasuke down.

"Can you?" Tsunade challenged, leaning into the Kunoichi's face and making her sweat a bit.

"You don't have to worry about him leaving my sight! I will watch over him and assure the job is done right!" Izanami stood tall, saluting the Hokage. And blushing a bit seeing as she made an unintentional rhyme.

"Alright then," Tsunade smirked "You're dismissed. Meet at the West gate in exactly 30 minutes. Don't get cold feet, now." She teased as she walked out the room.

_**Oh god, I have to watch over Sasuke?!**_

"You're so lucky you get to be teamed with Sasuke! He is so dreamy." Karin's whispers interrupted her thoughts. Izanami chuckled awkwardly in response, looking over at Sasuke as she did. Their eyes locked before he snickered.

"Hmmph." was his only response before walking out.

She then looked over at Kakashi after everyone left, beelining her way to him.

"Excuse me?! How can you put me on the line like that! Explain yourself, I cannot take Sasuke!" She whisper-scolded him.

"Yes, you can, Nami-chan."

"But Kaka-sensei!" She whined, pouting to express her disbelief. "I am _nowhere_ as strong as him._"_

"You're stronger than you know." He responded, handing her an envelope before heading out himself.

She opened it after he left her in the dark room. Inside was a letter and a picture.

She stared at the photo before she moved to the letter. A young shinobi couple was pictured, one a very faintly recognizable red-headed kunoichi with pale skin and purple eyes. The other a big tan man with sunglasses. His face was blurry, but from what she could tell he was muscular, and his scarf resembled one she had seen deep in the recesses of her memories. _**Is that, my dad?**_ She questioned herself. _**Wow, my mom looks so young here. Was this before she got pregnant? Who is that guy? **_Kakashi's attempt at helping the kunoichi just unraveled even more questions from her as she read over the letter. It wasn't her mother's handwriting, so she assumed it must be her father's. It read:

"_Dearest baby of mine,_

_I guess I'll call you child since I don't know your gender at this time._

_Yo, it's me your pops. I'm so sorry we never got to meet; your mother's family had forced me to kick rocks. See, what happened was we were in love, ya know? We had met on the battlefield during a cold winter day in the snow. We were stuck in a cave together, two enemy shinobi, equally as weak. I had hoped I wouldn't have to kill her; her persona was so sweet. She tended to my wounds and made my heart swoon._

_After the war, I suggested my freedom to my brother, who had nothing nice to say about your mother._

_She was the sister of the Mitzukage of the mist, you see? The cloud had no room for a rogue ninja refugee. Even if she was pregnant and as bright as the sun, he told me to forget about her and if she knew better, she would run._

_We decided to run away together to the Leaf, where I had met the Fourth Hokage as a teen. I had encountered him before, but this was diff'rent. See now, I asked for help in my personal sit'ation. He said he could see what he could do about us two, because his wife was also due soon. Before I knew it, the village was being attacked, and my body was summoned back. My brother locked me up all year long, and I wasn't able to explain myself to your mom._

_Not until one day when I met that Hokage's pupil, I gave him this letter to ensure you knew your destiny is futile! I think about you every day; and maybe now that we are Allies, in my village you can stay._

_Wishing you the best as I train these new Jinchuriki,_

_From, your father, you know me, Killer Bee_."

_**KILLER BEE IS MY FATHER?!**_

Izanami's body shook in excitement. She had been a fan of Bee, wearing his t-shirts in high school and using them as civilian clothes when she was off duty. His music inspired her to believe in herself, and now it would resonate with who she is.

She screamed, both in clarity and in pain. She clenched her stomach as she hunched over.

_**Oh god, these cramps hurt! Wait, these cramps don't feel normal. What's happening to me?**_

She was glowing rather literally. Her chakra begun to pulsate throughout her body, lifting her slightly as she leaned back. She felt as though she was experiencing euphoria, her father was still alive! _And_ he was a powerful Jinchuriki? _She was elated. _She realized she had entered another plane when she opened her eyes. It was bright yellow, a small fog was layering the ground at her feet, and she could smell wet dirt like it had just rained. The fog evaporated into mist, engulfing her in it as she looked around. A pair of purple eyes glowed in the distance; she could hardly make out the figure, but she sensed a familiar chakra.

"So, you discovered who your father was." A soft voice brought her to her knees. "Were you as shocked as I was? I thought he died during the attack. The heartache put me into labor when he didn't show up in the rubble a few days later."

"Ka-tan?" Izanami's voice cracked, using the name she called her mom as a baby. "Is that really you?" She cried, her tears blinding her from seeing the woman walk up and kneel with her.

Her red hair merging together with the yellow background in an almost sunset haze. She took Izanami's hands into her own and pressed her forehead against hers.

Izanami sobbed hard, pulling her mother in for a tight hug and shaking from the shock. She wept and wept, consistently apologizing and telling her how much she missed her.

"Yes, it's me, Hayami-chan." Her mother's lip quivered as she let a few tears drop as well.

_**Hayami. I am Hayami. Not Izanami.**_

"Oh ka-tan, I've been so alone without you. Everybody hated me for your death, I was never given the benefit of the doubt. They labeled me as Izanami, they branded me a murderer!" She cried into her mother's shoulder.

"The beautiful and powerful goddess of both life and death."

Izanami, now discovering she was named Hayami, sniffled. "Yes, I have heard the meaning my whole life. They embedded it so far into my brain, I began to believe it was my name."

"It suits you, Hayami-chan. I mean, Izanami-chan."

"You can call me Hayami, it is the name you gave me anyhow." The girl replied, wiping her tears away as she looked up at her beautiful mother.

"Well, I wouldn't mind if you used the name you've grown to fit into. You're far more powerful than you know, being the child of a Jinchuriki and the estranged sister of the Fifth Mitzukage." The words rolled off her mother's tongue so smoothly she knew it was the truth.

"_I'm_ related to the Mitzukage?" Her hands trembled as she brought them to her mouth.

"Yes, my dear, and I have a message for you to send her. As well as this Katana. I have the message written down in the old shoebox I told you to never open. You still have it, right?" Her mother was worried that it had been tossed out.

"Y-Yes it's in my room, at home," Izanami smiled, but it started fading when she noticed her mother starting to crack. "Ka-tan, whats going on?"

"My soul is no longer bound to the earth, my love. Upon bestowing you the sacred Katana of the Blood Mist, I am freed. Previously, I have refused to leave this plane before I could tell you I forgive you and give you this gift to ensure your powers would ignite."

_**My **__**powers**_? She wondered; a burning sensation had begun to flow through her veins. She began to writhe in pain.

"You feel it now, don't you? Tell your father I love him, and will be waiting for him on the other side," She spoke quickly as she faded away faster by the second, a whirlwind of rain mixed with fire spun around them, "I have to go now, Hayami-chan. Please take care of yourself. I love you... to pieces..." with her last words whispered, she broke into a million particles and disappeared.

The pain in Izanami's abdomen strengthened, causing her shrieks to blind her vision. Her skin was broiling hot, and she felt razorblades scrape her throat as she heaved. Lava spilling out of her mouth as she purged, _**Lava? Why is there lava coming out of me? What is this place!**_ Her screams echoed across the empty plane. Suddenly, she was face to face with a demon-like woman, made of Lava.

Her curvaceous body resembled Izanami, from the size of her bosom down to the way her thick thighs touched. She looked Izanami in the eyes, mirroring her every move. They were identical in height and frame, they even had similar facial features.

"Who are you?" Asked Izanami.

"I am Izanami no-mikoto. The goddess of creation, and the ruler of the Land of Death." The lava-woman spoke formally. Her graceful voice was the epitome of royalty.

"You.. You're me?" Izanami struggled to find the words to describe her question.

"No," said the Demoness, "_You are me_. The reincarnation of my soul is within you._ I have found a way to destroy my husband, and you're going to help me._"

"Why would I help you? What benefit would I have from destroying your husband?" Izanami spat; she had studied about this goddess everyday she spent locked up in the orphanage. She could never put her finger on why she felt like she already knew her story.

"Because I could help you destroy all that is evil." Was the shocking response that left the human Izanami speechless.

"My children are those whose souls are called upon when activating forbidden jutsus. And I want you to free them." The Goddess explained, "They should no longer wreak havoc on you pitiful humans and instead come to me in the Land of Death. Thus, leaving my husband... Desperate. I plan to lure him into the land of Death and seal his soul to the rotting plane. His hate will no longer influence your world, and the power of Amaterasu, Susan'o, and Tsukuyomi will no longer threaten the balance between your nations. Their jutsus will be erased, and the evil behind them will cease to exist."

Izanami furrowed her brows at the Lava incarnation of herself, unsure if she could trust it. _**If she's telling the truth, the only person that could be a threat to humanity will have a tremendous amount of power taken from him**_.

She analyzed both outcomes in her mind, weighing the risks and benefits. _**But what if Sasuke is left powerless, and is the only one who can fight her husband due to the level of visual prowess he has?**_ _**Would her husband seek vengeance on man before going after her?**_

It was something she needed time to decide on. She began to speak to the Goddess:

"I cannot give you an answer right now, I have to know more before I can help you."

"Of coursssse," Hissed the lava woman, heat steaming off her body, "While you decide, and to show you I mean no harm, I will release the seal on the two kekkei genkai you possess." She was trying to persuade Izanami by showing her the powers she had already possessed but had no idea about.

The burning and scraping started again, this time in reverse as the demon entered her body back through her mouth.

"I look forward to speaking again." was the last thing Izanami heard before shaking herself awake. She was still in the Hokage's office. How much time had passed? It felt like hours back on the plane she was just visiting.

She stuffed the envelope into her bag and walked out of the room, catching Kakashi as he walked out of the building.

_**It must have been only a few minutes since I opened the letter.**_ Izanami confirmed her suspicions when she glanced at the clock. They were to leave in 25 minutes.

She left the building shortly after the Jonin and looked for him as soon as she was outside. He had already been halfway down the road to the gate when she called out to him:

"Kakashi-sensei! Wait up!"

She ran to catch up, not realizing that she had blitzed past him. She had made a 500ft run, in less than 5 seconds. _**Woah, did I really just make it over here that quickly? **_She scared herself when she realized she was in Kakashi's face. She examined her arms, looking over her newly strengthened body. She was more defined now, too. Her muscles had absorbed the remaining baby fat in her skin, sculpting her limbs as well as her stomach. If she wasn't attractive before, she definitely was now.

"S-So you've unlocked the seal, I, um, see." Kakashi chuckled, scratching his head to avoid blushing from staring at her defined body. "Your speed, wow. I mean, you're as fast as me now." He walked up to her side, leading the way to the gate. They walked in sync, discussing what had just occurred in the Hokage's room.

"So, I guess Killer Bee gave you that letter recently?" She asked, confused as to when he had been around.

"No. He gave it to me after Pain attacked. I told him I was Minato's student when he was training Naruto and I just had forgotten about it, and when I found it I remembered we would be going on a mission soon, so I had to remind myself to bring it this time around."

"Well, how long ago was that?" She was curious about her superordinate's reason to withhold a letter as important as the one she received.

"About six months ag-" _WHACK_! His arm hand been slapped by the angry Kunoichi.

"YOU WAITED SIX MONTHS TO GIVE ME A LETTER MY FATHER GAVE YOU!?" She was livid. It sort of scared the Jonin.

"Ye-Yeah I mean, I got a little lazy but-"

"How do you get lazy about something so crucial to my identity!?" She smacked him again. They were getting stares but Kakashi was used to being watched for the rumors of his relationship status to ignite.

"I apologize but there's no need to hurt me." He sweatdropped as he spoke, scratching his head again.

"Hnnng. You're lucky I like you Kaka-sensei." She pouted as she looked away from him and walked ahead of him. He exhaled deeply when she was out of earshot, flipping his book back from his pocket. Now he could return to the pervy paradise of smut. He loved the feeling that being turned on gave him, the way he could be discovered reading such dirty things by someone else at any time gave him adrenaline he never felt before. It was the second most exhilarating thing to happen aside from actual intercourse itself. He's had his way with quite a few women; none like Izanami, though, so the thought of how she would taste has naturally passed through his mind time and time again. She was so…obedient. A pervy smirk spread beneath the mask he wore as he imagined her in the same light of his written pornography: Arms tied behind her back as he ordered her to scream his name in pleasure from his thrusts.

A bit flustered, the Jonin pulled at the neck of his shirt. He shook it off as he joined the group of chunin behind him gathered by the gate, the sun beginning to set. Izanami's hair seemed to have changed, being a darker shade of blue that reflected purple in the sun at the ends.

The teens in front of him all gave some type of acknowledging smile in their own ways: Neji looked at him as he raised a hand to his hip, Kiba gave a downward nod and closed his eyes as to say "hey," Karin flushed and looked away, Sasuke's eyebrows scrunched as he flashed a mischievous smirk, and Izanami, well she didn't really acknowledge him, in fact she had actually been staring at him, she refused to take her eyes off him as he looked over the group. She knew he felt the love they had for him, and he knew that she could tell he loved his pupils just as much. She gave him a soft blink as their eyes connected along with the subtle, beautiful smile that could get him into an ass load of trouble.

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How was this one? I took a few days to edit and stuff. This one is twice as long as the previous chapters, tho. Do yall prefer long or short chapters? Let me know in a review💜 I hope her backstory was explained in a non-confusing was😂😂 If you don't know who Izanami & Izanagi(Danzo's regenerative jutsu) are, there is a wiki page about their story. Its japanese mythology that I had no intention of bringing to my story but when I was watching Shippuden I was like HOLY SHIT DID THEY JUST SAY IZANAMI?! Sooooo I had to. lmfao love you guys I hope u enjoyed this chapter


	5. Chapter 5: Who She Was

Attention: TRIGGER WARNING- discussion of sex work, forced child labor, and r*pe. When you see the ** skip until the **** to avoiding possible triggering backstory.

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The trip had only taken a day and a half since on the way there the shinobi seemed to be in a rush. Aside from stopping at markets and a motel to shower and have Izanami to deal with her lady business, the journey to the Sand had been a quick trip. They arrived, sore from the rush that Kiba pushed onto the group, and tired from lack of rest. However, their friend (and the Kazekage) decided to treat them to a hotel stay in the Sand with a co-ed bathhouse and to courtesy rooms for being so quick to arrive. Gaara was surprised as he greeted the group, a little taken aback when his eyes landed on Sasuke.

"Welcome, and welcome back to some of you. I trust that your journey went well, seeing as you arrived a bit earlier than we had prepared for." He spoke, a bit embarrassed that his plans to welcome the ninja fell through since they came early.

"Good to see you again, Kazekage. I hope all is well in your village," Kakashi said.

"Thank you for choosing us to escort your trade caravan, Gaara-sama." Izanami spoke elegantly, bowing her head slightly as she did. "I am Izanami of the Leaf."

"I know who you are. I specifically requested your presence, as I have some business with you personally. A side mission of sorts. However, for now, you're all welcome to stay at the hotel just inside the gate. It is newly built, but let me know if it meets your standards. I have some things to attend to, and I'm sure you're all tired so we will meet in the morning."

The group vocalized their gratitude for him and followed his guard as they were escorted to the hotel. Its walls were made of sand and it was beautiful, the sand had been polished to resemble marble. The way that Gaara put his own personal touch in the design had left the group dumbfounded. According to the check-in desk, the hotel was specifically designed for Shinobi and Kunoichi to stay at during missions and special events. There were several escape routes and hidden rooms that were revealed to each assigned room specifically at the request of the Kazekage. Only those trusted enough were allowed to receive the information, however. Their rooms were on the fifth floor, overlooking the beautiful mountains of Sand as the sun set. Kakashi split the group in half; He would be in one room with two shinobi and the other 3 in the other room. He let the group decide, as the rooms connected anyways so it would basically be like being in the same room either way as he walked into the room on the right. Kiba immediately decided to room with Kakashi, stating that he could relay information about the change of smell as soon as it happened. He suggested that the two girls would room together for comfortability and that they couldn't room with Kakashi because the room had two people already. This was his way of covering up the fact that he didn't, or couldn't, want to sleep with Izanami in the room. So, it was down to Sasuke and Neji, who would sleep in what room? On one hand, sleeping with two dogs and his old sensei made Sasuke uncomfortable. But on the other, he would have to share a bed with Karin, or Izanami. Both girls made him even more uncomfortable.

Neji, however, didn't mind either option so he told Sasuke that he could decide. Seeing as he and Kiba are friends, and Izanami had no problems with him, he didn't. Ultimately, Sasuke decided that he'd rather deal with Karin annoying him than inhaling saliva and having to talk to Kiba or Kakashi.

"I guess I'll room with the girls." He said, picking his bag off the floor and heading into the room. Karin nearly creamed herself as she gasped, excitedly shaking Izanami's arm. She ran into the room after him. Kiba and Neji made their way into their room, leaving Izanami in the hallway. She let out a deep exhale, blowing a raspberry as she grabbed her bag in frustration. _**I do **__**not **__**want to be in this fucking room. First of all, Sasuke had shoved himself on this mission and he makes me uncomfortable. And on top of that, I'll have to see Karin's desperate attempts at sleeping with him! She's so annoying, that's all she had been doing the journey here. I just can't imagine how she will be on the way back since it will take longer.**_

She was upset that her friends didn't want to room with her. She mostly was upset she couldn't snuggle Akamaru while she slept, his warmth relieved the pain her cramps brought her. And she preferred a dog's smell than that of Karin's overused perfume.

"So, there's two beds and a couch," Karin said as Izanami entered. "I don't mind bunking with Sasuke if you want to sleep alone." She giggled and left the two to decide as she entered the bathroom.

"I'd rather sleep on the couch," Sasuke mumbled, bringing his bag on top of it as he said that.

"It's cool, I can sleep with Karin. Or on the couch, if you're more comfortable on a bed," She could understand his annoyed tone, seeing as Karin and him had spent months together.

"Are you sure?" He asked, assuming that Izanami would be picky with her place of rest.

"Yeah, I've slept on worse. I used to be homeless for a while." She shrugged as she moved her own bag onto the couch.

"Hmph." Sasuke replied, "Thanks." He moved his bag to the other bed, and Karin came back out with a pout. She wanted to sleep with Sasuke.

Izanami entered the bathroom as well, splashing her face with water. She removed her makeup and changed into her bathing suit; A black halter top with a sports bra type design, and some cheeky bottoms that matched her top. She brought her hair into a French-style braid and pinned her bangs to the side. A nice relaxing at the bathhouse was exactly what she needed right now. She walked out with a towel in hand and went to put her clothes in her bag. Karin was checking out the kunoichi in front of her, a mixture of envy and desire filled her eyes. Sasuke was busy writing in a journal, but he did peer over the top to give her body a quick look. He raised an eyebrow to himself, as he mumbled a quiet "Nice."

"Would you guys like to join me downstairs? I'm going to the bathhouse." Izanami offered, but inside she was really hoping one of them would join her. She hated going alone.

"I have to catch up on some sleep, so I think I'll stay," Karin said, yawning as she tucked herself into the bed. Izanami looked over at Sasuke, pleading with her eyes.

He sighed, putting his book away and grabbing his bag before heading into the bathroom. Izanami let out a sigh, glad that he was not going to leave her hanging. She opened the door that connected the two rooms and walked in. Kakashi was in the windowsill, reading his pervy book. Kiba was presumably in the bathroom, but Neji was changing as she came in. She flushed as she saw the scratch marks on his back, remembering the day before's scandalous events. She cleared her throat as he pulled his shirt on, he turned around and eyed her body. Kakashi looked up as well, quickly looking back down at his book as soon as he did. Akamaru laid on the couch, fast asleep.

"Would anyone like to join me and Sasuke at the bathhouse downstairs?" She asked, a small ping of embarrassment in her voice from their reactions. She brought her towel around her body to cover her torso.

"Nah, I'm good here. I think Kiba just left to go there too." Neji said, turning back to his bag and going through it.

Izanami looked over to Kakashi, smiling softly. He shook his head at her, and she pouted in defeat. Great, now I have to walk there alone with Sasuke.

She left, shrugging as she walked back into her room. Karin was snoring softly in her bed, and Sasuke had just walked out of the bathroom when she entered. Their eyes met briefly, and Izanami reached for the front door, grabbing her pack of kunai and shuriken just in case and leading the way out. He walked beside her in the hall as they made their way to the stairwell. Silence filled the tension between them, she was nervous about being around him. She thought he was evil, and that his decision to come back to the Leaf had some alternate scheme in place as well. She side eyed him, waiting for him to say something as they descended the stairs. Five floors is a lot of time to speak freely, but he looked ahead. He didn't know what to say to someone he had no knowledge of. Finally, he said something.

"Did you know that Izanami is the name of one of the Forbidden Jutsus of the Sharingan?" He asked her, still looking ahead.

She was caught off guard but chuckled a bit. "Yeah, I did, actually." He furrowed his brows, he assumed that there was no knowledge of this outside the Uchiha clan. She continued, "Izanami no-mikoto is a legend of sorts. Stories have it that she and her brother Izanagi were a married couple. They possessed great powers, she was the Goddess of Creation and he was a God of our world. When she gave birth to the Fire god, she burned to death. Thus, she eventually ruled over the Land of Death as well." Izanami relayed her studies to Sasuke.

"Hmmph." He pondered over the lore, connecting the jutsu to it mythology.

"A few other jutsus are based on this story as well. When Izanagi went to fetch his beloved from the Land of Death, he discovered she was no longer the beautiful woman he had known, but instead a rotting corpse. He ran away, the horrifying image of his wife stinging his eyes. He sealed the entrance to the underworld, and she cursed him. She claimed that she would kill 1000 of his creations a year if he didn't release her. But he said for every being she killed, 1500 would be created. And when he returned home, he washed his eyes out, unintentionally creating a few souls in the process. When he washed his left eye, the Sun Goddess Amaterasu was born."

The name of his jutsu caught his attention now, he looked at her as she continued.

"Then his right eye bore the Moon God Tsukuyomi, and his nose brought the Storm God Susan'o to life. They were like children to him, and their souls were linked to the powerful jutsus you know today."

Sasuke took a moment to take in this information, although he discovered these jutsu, he had not known there was some other story behind them. He had assumed they were created by the Uchiha for some reason.

"So when you use these jutsus, their souls are called upon and they infuse your chakra with theirs to grant you such power."

"How do you know so much about this?" Sasuke was interested, he had to know why she knew more about his power than him.

"It's a long story."

"Well, we have the rest of night." He smirked as he opened the door to the bathhouse.

She smiled awkwardly, a small flush creeping up her face. They walked into the room; it was empty. It made her wonder where Kiba had gone. The pair walked to a set of chairs, placing their towels down on them and taking off her shoes.

Speak of the devil, he came up out of the water, taking a deep breath as he did. Instantly, he regretted it. His eyes shot up straight to Izanami. He lowered himself into the water again, his eyes were the only things visible. He blew bubbles in frustration. Why had she come down here when he was trying to get away from her? His instincts were screaming at him, temptation was within reach. Izanami looked over at him and smiled widely.

"Oh, Kiba! I was looking for you. I'm glad I found you." She said as she walked up to him, sitting on the edge of the hot pool, directly in front of him. He said nothing, still mostly underwater, but stared straight ahead. He was eye level with her legs. He could see between her legs as she leaned back into her hands. Her legs kicked small circles in the water, and he studied her muscles as they moved. More importantly, he watched her bikini bottom tightened around her vagina as she slid herself into the water with him. Sasuke interrupted his thoughts as he spoke:

"Izanami, you were saying?"

"Oh! Um. Well, it's about my mom." She sheepishly replied, submerging her body into the water. Kiba swam away from the edge, to avoid smelling Izanami.

"Okay..?" Sasuke looked at her as if she was being weird. Which she was.

"Uhm.. Okay, so… When I was 7…" Izanami spilled the history of who her mom was and what had happened to her, and how the Leaf treated her like she was the devil's child for the incident. Sasuke listened intently, genuinely interested in her upbringing in the Leaf. "Naruto and I were actually at the same orphanage, but unfortunately he was able to be put in the Academy before I was. In a way, I wasn't allowed to. My teachers failed me on purpose, and no one would mentor me either. The time I spent homeless, I had to stay at the Inn. They up-charged me, even though I was only 15. I had been homeless because the orphanage was full for a year. I gave up my spot for some smaller kiddos. No one in the local shops wanted to hire me either, but I needed the money to be off the streets, so I ended up getting a job…. Elsewhere." She trailed off, a glint of shame and sadness in her eyes as she looked away from the Uchiha.

"If you needed the money, and no stores would hire you, how did you survive?" Kiba asked from across the pool. He was listening, even though he heard about her incident with her mom. He didn't know the rest of the story though. He was curious about her life; he had never been the type to judge even though the rest of the village hated her.

"So, um, there's this… place on the far east end of the village. It's a club of sorts. That's where I worked." She said before turning away from them and placing her head in her arms on the edge of the pool.

"A club?" Sasuke persisted.

"Yeah."

"Like, a dance club? For parties?" Kiba was curious too.

"Kind of... But men didn't go there _to _dance. They went to _watch _others dance…." She buried her face into her arms deeper.

Sasuke nodded, he knew what she meant. He thought it was disturbing that grown men would pay for that from her. He put a hand on her shoulder as he got in the water too. She flinched in response, a reaction he wasn't expecting. "Sorry." Was all he could say.

"It's okay." She said, refusing to face him.

"So wait, you made money… dancing for _grown men_?" Kiba was angry for her, upset that she had to endure such exploitation as a young teen.

"Yeah, it wasn't bad though. They were usually respectful and didn't know my age. I figured I was doing the best I could. I had regulars, people who would pay extra for… _other stuff._ And I also had a stalker or two. But the only reason I don't bring it up is because I don't need people to feel bad for me." She looked back at the boys, sorrow in her eyes.

"We all go through our own problems, some more traumatizing than others. But sympathy isn't something you should be ashamed of." Sasuke stated. He looked off as he did, knowing that his own trauma was well known.

"Well, if it makes you feel better my family would have killed every guy that ever touched you in there if they had known about the goings on in there." Kiba said, swimming back to Izanami and Sasuke a bit.

"Thanks, Kiba." She said, smiling a bit. It was nice taking that secret off her chest, and the three sat in silence for a bit. The stars began to shine down on them, and Izanami closed her eyes as she leaned back._** I'm glad they're understanding. Things could have gone so differently if they weren't.**_

The sounds of people closing up shops behind the hotel filled the night sky. There were a few times the door to the hotel on the other side of the wall had been opened, as drunk or injured shinobi had made their ways back from the bars. Kiba turned in before Sasuke and Izanami, claiming he had to get back before Akamaru had to use the restroom. The two left behind spoke of the missions together with other shinobi. Sasuke felt comfortable around Izanami, a rare occurrence since most women were annoying as their attempts to flirt with him failed. He told her the story of Itachi, and how Danzo turned his brother into a criminal. He compared it to her own life story, and she felt more open to believing he had not been evil. She could understand his anger, his hatred for the Leaf. She had hated it at one point as well. Izanami noticed her fingers pruning, and she suggested leaving the bathhouse. He nodded in response and helped pull her out of the pool. He miscalculated his strength, however, and pulled her too close. Their bodies slipped a bit, and he instinctively grabbed her by the waist to prevent her from falling over. She had also grabbed his forearms in the same second, however, and they looked at each other for a reaction. She flushed as she peered into his eyes, unable to move and unable to speak as well. He didn't let go, either. Instead, he waited for her to react, due to noticing her cheeks redden. A small, knowing, smirk laid on his face. He began to pull his fingers out of their grasp, one by one. She bit her lip as she looked down, starting to speak when the door to the bathhouse swung open, surprising them both. She inaudibly cursed the person for scaring her but stopped when she noticed who it was.

"Well, fuck me. Of course your slutty ass is here with him," Spat a very drunk Genma. She frowned at the words that left his mouth. She had never thought Genma was the type to get nasty when he was drunk.

"What are you doing here, Genma?" She crossed her arms at the Jonin, and Sasuke noticed the reaction she had was more upset than embarrassed. He figured they knew each other personally, and this was a territorial thing that men usually have around him.

"Well, I just came back from a mission in the area, and I got a room here. I was going to have a dip in the water after I hit the bars for some relaxation. But now that I know someone as filthy as a mother-killer was inside it, I think I'll go back to my room." He literally spat at the ground to her, a senbon landing by her feet. "I hope she doesn't give you the wrong idea, Uchiha. She's not as hard to get in bed as she makes it seem. She's a fucking whore for attention, all you gotta do is tell her she's beautiful and she'll let you do whatever you want!" He laughed heartily as he turned away. A kunai grazed his shoulder as he did.

"There's no need to be disrespectful. I suggest you apologize to the lady before you go." Sasuke was angry, even if their relationship had ended on bad terms there was no reason to be hostile toward her when she hadn't said anything to him.

Genma turned around as he glared at the pair.

"Fuck you and your apology." *t/w start*

"Sasuke, it's fine let's just get back to Kakashi-sensei." She said, grabbing her stuff and walking past Genma. She shoulder check him as she did, and he smacked her ass in response.

"Maybe I should apologize, I forgot how good your ass looked from behind." He chuckled at her angry face. "Oh, what? You know you fucking love being rough. Listen, I can sneak some more pills in your drink if that's what you need. A little encouragement, like before."

"What do you mean, before?" Izanami growled.

"Oh don't play stupid, Nami. You were such a horny bitch that night, I was embarrassed in front of my peers!" He could hardly stand, leaning against the wall in the stairwell for support as he continued, "It was a little surprising considering you were a virgin- hic- back then. But now you're fucking the Uchiha for free? So dumb." She pinned him against the wall, choking him.

"You mean to tell me; you were the one who drugged and raped me when I was 15?" She said through her teeth, squeezing his neck tighter as she spat. He tried to get her to let go but was failing.

"It wasn't… rape.. You… slut. You practically… begged me to fuck you." He furrowed his brows at her in confusion, "You had me buy you a drink, you gave me a private dance, you asked me to walk you home!"

"BECAUSE I TRUSTED YOU!" She screamed, tears welling in her eyes. "I thought you were MY FRIEND. I thought you CARED ABOUT ME." Her body trembled as she shouted, not caring about the tears falling from her eyes. Sasuke's anger grew stronger. They heard multiple footsteps come down the stairs. Apparently, Kakashi, Kiba, and Neji had been listening the whole time and ran down as soon as they heard her screaming.

Genma looked over at Kakashi for help, but when he noticed he wasn't going to do anything he looked back at Izanami, "Well, you thought wrong." He mumbled, "You were nothing but a quick fuck." She glared at him, her rage building up intensely, her grip wavering.

"Izzy-chan…" Neji said softly, slowly making his way to her. "Let us deal with him." He placed his hand on the one choking Genma gently. "Release him, we'll take care of it, Izzy-chan." He whispered, "He can't hurt you anymore."

She was hyperventilating as she let go. She looked back to see Kiba and Kakashi staring at her, she was embarrassed. She took off, running out through the bathhouse and scaling the wall to escape.

"Kiba, Neji. You take Genma into custody. Drag his disgusting ass back to the Leaf." Kakashi spat, disappointed in the person he used to call his comrade. "He just pleaded guilty to raping and drugging a minor."

Neji and Kiba glared at the guardsman as they roughly took hold of him. They were both vivid as they forced him up the stairs to his room to collect his things. "I'll be sending Pakkun with you two so Tsunade knows I am dealing with Izanami and the caravan."

"Hai, captain," Kiba said. They disappeared into the second floor.

"Sasuke, grab Karin and find Izanami-kun." He ordered. "Be careful."

"Hmph." Sasuke nodded, running off to grab Karin.

Kakashi exhaled as he made his way to the front of the hotel to grab the tapes in the stairwell.

Outside, in the street, Izanami jumped from building to building, crying as she made her way through the village. When she exhausted her chakra, she jumped off a building and walked with no idea of where she was going. The cold desert chill made her cross her arms and shiver. All she had was her pack and shoes. She pulled her hair out of a braid for warmth, not really succeeding. She felt tired but needed to clear her thoughts.

_There's nowhere to run that will satisfy you._ A voice in her head said.

_**Huh? What is this voice?**_

_It's me, Izanami no-mikoto. _The voice said, _When I unlocked the seal of your powers, I also broke the barrier of communication between us._

_**Oh, okay. Well, I don't know where to go. I just can't return now.**_

_Why not? You can't run away from your thoughts, Hayami-san._ The goddess was right, but Izanami was determined.

_**I can't face them right now. I want to be alone.**_

_You've been alone your whole life. I would think that now of all times would be when you should be surrounded by people you love. Or at least your friends._

_**Why? They will just pity me, and tell me they're sorry. I don't want that. I want to die. How can Genma say those things about me? Why didn't I know that he did those things to me?! I remember that day. I remember the day after too, but that night is… hard to put together. I knew I had been raped, but I could have never imagined it was Genma.**_Izanami cried, again, she wasn't talking out loud, but the way she was walking around it was easy to tell she was going through some stuff.

_I think you did. I just think you didn't want to believe he could do something like that to you. I remember that night. I couldn't do anything to save you, as I was still stuck in the seal. I wish I could have; If I could break the seal on my own, I would have killed that piece of shit, __waste __of a creation. _Her demon self apologetically admitted.

Izanami wiped her tears away, as her legs gave out. She fell against a wall, leaning against it with one arm and leaning into it. She turned herself in by her shoulder and slid down the wall, bringing her knees to her chest as she cried. She passed out, her body falling to the side as she did.

The morning sun wasn't kind to her, and her body resented her for exhausting it the night before. She struggled to open her eyes as the light blinded her. For some reason, she wasn't where she had been before. Somehow she was inside a building and in a bed. She quickly sat up, throwing the blanket off of her when someone had entered the room. She reached for her kunai pack as they did, but it wasn't on her hip. She looked at the person and released her stance.

"I'm glad you're awake," Gaara said, walking to her with a tray of food. "It seems I made the right choice, bringing this in for you instead of sending a servant."

Izanami blushed, embarrassed that she almost attacked the Kazekage. "S-Sorry, it's just an instinct." She apologized.

"I know." A moment passed as he set the tray on the bed in front of her. She noticed she had a robe on, and it might have been a size or two too big. She assumed it was Gaara's and tried to get up.

"Don't." He put his hands on her shoulders, seating her back on the bed. "You exhausted your chakra last night; you need to eat to recover."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you. I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay." He said, letting go of her shoulders before stepping back. "When I found you, I brought you inside and was getting ready to send him a message to Kakashi when Sasuke and the Uzumaki girl showed up. They explained what happened," He crossed his arms as he spoke, and he closed his eyes in sincerity, "I'm sorry. I don't know how someone can be so cruel to another human. You didn't deserve to relive that."

"It's-"

"It's not." He interrupted her, "There's no excusing his actions. I hope he rots in jail. He doesn't deserve to see the light of day. You are not allowed to tell me it's okay, because it's not." He looked at her in anger, not toward her, but at the situation. She didn't know what to say. She looked away from him, ashamed that someone as powerful as he would see her in one of her weaker moments.

"I have something to discuss with you, by the way. When you're ready, I've left your bag in the bathroom and would like to meet with you in my office upstairs." He said as he walked out the door, closing it as he did.

Izanami gulped, _**What could he want to discuss?**_ She wondered. _**Is he dismissing me of the mission?**_

_He probably wants to tell you about that side mission he mentioned yesterday_. The voice in her heard startled her. She had forgotten that the goddess was able to hear her thoughts and speak to her now.

_**Yeah, I forgot about that.**_

She ate in silence, regretting her choices last night. The embarrassment made her uneasy. She ate everything rather quickly and made her way to the bathroom. She showered, removing the dirt off her body and began to think about Genma's words. She scrubbed at her skin roughly with the sponge, trying to cleanse herself of his actions. She sobbed quietly in frustration. _**It won't wash off!**_

_It's not going to. You have to let it wash off._

Izanami slammed her fist against the wall as she sobbed, she hadn't been this down since her mother died.

After she gave up her attempts to wash his touch away, she stepped out in front of the mirror and looked at herself. She was disgusted with herself, how could she let her body fill out the way she did? How dare she develop her mother's hips, her father's lips, her demon's small waist, and bigger bust? She spat at the mirror as she recalled Genma telling her how beautiful she was.

~Flashback~

The stress of training made Izanami upset, she was trying so hard to catch up to her teammates. She threw the book she was studying on her bed at her window blindly.

"Hey!" Genma shouted, dodging the book as he entered the window. "You trying to kill me Izzy-chan?" He joked, "If I had known I'd get that type of welcome I wouldn't have come."

"Genma-senpai." She flushed, "I'm so sorry! It's just hard to study when I think about how I can't even get the moves down." She pouted in defeat.

"You'll get the hang of it," He stated, picking up the book and walking it back to her hands. "You didn't start at 12 as they did." He smiled at her, sweeping her hair behind her ear and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Now what's say we order some takeout and get a little…" He started to rub her thigh as he whispered in her ear, "Less stressed." He finished as he laid the girl back, planting sloppy kisses on her neck as he did so.

~End flashback~

More tears fell, she could have seen it coming. She _should _have seen it coming. She knew he would never be in a relationship with someone so young, and so hated. It was the main excuse for him refusing to meet in public, and for entering through the window instead of the door._** Am I really just a slut? Did I do that to myself?**_

_How dare you even ask that? You're lucky your mother can't hear you, baka! Hayami-chan, you are a beautiful Kunoichi. You have an inviting soul, and unfortunately, people will always abuse that. It is not your fault that they see it as a way to get what they want._

*****end t/w*****

Izanami cursed her out, "Leave me alone!" She shouted out loud.

"How did you know I was out here?" A muffled feminine voice asked from the other side of the door. It startled Izanami, but she changed in silence anyways.

"Izanami-chan? Are you okay in there?"

"Yeah. I'll just be a minute." One last look at her reflection; She wore her hair down to be more modest, choosing a loose black hooded dress with bell-bottomed sleeves and a pair of deep maroon cargo styled joggers. Underneath, she wore a constricting sports bra to avoid her breasts being shaped in her dress. She pulled the hood over her head and grabbed her skull-face patterned masked over her mouth. The only visible skin she had, was her eyes and the surrounding skin. She packed her belongings and entered the room, walking past the kunoichi that was waiting for her.

"H-Hey! You're supposed to wait for me." Karin whined as she caught up.

"We're late. Let's get going." Izanami's chakra was different. Karin noticed it had grown more powerful, but it was less warm than it was when they met a couple of days ago. She frowned; she knew what happens to those whose chakra changes in this way. She didn't want her to become as cold as Sasuke. They walked to the Hokage's office a few floors above them. _**Interesting how he lives below his office**_, Izanami thought as she passed a few family pictures before entering the stairway to his office.

According to Gaara, Izanami's mother had passed through the Sand on her way to the Cloud. She had been treated for anemia when she arrived, the doctors warned that if she persisted to travel on foot while pregnant that she could lose the child. She then borrowed a caravan, and it was never returned. Until recently.

"I had guards out in the mountains for training, and they discovered the abandoned cart. It had broken down on her, and since she couldn't carry the items she had with her, she left them. I assume bandits and scavengers took a few valuables. But this is all that was left." Gaara said as he pushed a box to the end of his desk. Izanami grabbed it, rummaging through it. Old letters between her parents, small trinkets of her mother's travels, a pair of baby shoes her mother had planned to use on her, and a small framed photo of her mother, and the current Mitzukage. She gripped the frame gently and studied the picture of the teen girls. They looked happy, and Izanami frowned underneath her mask. Why couldn't be happy?

"Thanks for this. Is this what you needed to discuss?" Straight to the point.

"No," He said, noticing her rush what he presumed would have been a touching moment. "It's come to my attention that you are related to the Mitzukage. And the blade on your back is the Katana of what previously was named the Blood Mist. Unfortunately, it was stolen by your mother. So my mission for you is to return to the Mist, after you get back to the Leaf, and return the blade to its owner; The Mitzukage." He said, placing his hands folded on the table.

"Hai, Lord Kazakage. I will make my return to the Mist when I finish this mission." She repeated the information back to him, coldly. He pouted a little at her response.

"Also, I'd like you to report to Lady Tsunade that I request for you to take a break as long as she feels necessary to recover from what went on last night."

Izanami furrowed her brows, "No." She was upset that he thought so little of her. "I can handle myself. I'll be oka-"

"It's an order, Izanami-kun." He scolded, his chosen honorific defeating the purpose of his tone. But Izanami knew what he was trying to do. Although it was an order, he had only made it one because he cared about her. He, like Sasuke, knew what it was like to be treated as an outsider his whole life.

"Okay." Her eyes pierced his, she was grateful for his order, but she was also upset that she would be forced to be off-duty if Tsunade thought she needed it.

"You're dismissed. Kakashi and Sasuke are already waiting at the gate with the caravan. I hope your journey back goes well."

"Hai. Until we meet again, Gaara-sama."

She turned around and left with Karin. As they approached the group, Kakashi instantly picked up on her demeanor. Sasuke did, too. Instead of commenting on their tardiness, Kakashi spoke with excitement:

"Let's get this mission over with! I have plans with my bed and my book that I can _not_ reschedule again." He smiled at the girls, and Karin giggled. Izanami pocketed her hands as she nodded downwards. The first 12 hours consisted of Karin flirting with the young men in the caravan. Sasuke and her lead the caravan while Izanami and Kakashi trailed at the back. The blacksmiths spoke of their hand-crafted wares with Karin and promised to give her a discount when they got to the festival.

"You hear that, Izanami? We get a discount!" She winked back at the sorrowful girl. A whole day had passed, and she was still trying to befriend Izanami.

"You know, you're pretty annoying," Sasuke said, pretty fed up with how hard Karin was trying.

The girl deadpanned. "Sasuke-senpai! How can you call me annoying, I'm just trying to make her feel better!" She flailed her arms as they walked, upset that her beloved had been so rude to her.

"Don't mind Sasuke, Karin-chan." Izanami finally spoke, "You don't annoy me. I'm just tired, is all." Karin beamed at the honorific; she shook her fists in victory as she realized she broke through.

"Should we stop for the night?" Kakashi asked the group, Sasuke said he could use a nap, but offered to take the first shift of watch.

"I can stay up, too!" Karin volunteered, hoping to redeem herself with Sasuke.

"If you guys want, we can walk and let you rest in the caravan." One of the blacksmiths said as he stepped out. His hair was brown, as well as his eyes, and he was the same height as Kakashi but a little tanner than him. His calloused hands and strong forearms were the results of his trade. He smiled at Izanami and Kakashi.

Kakashi looked over at Izanami, wondering if she would accept the offer. She looked at him with the same question.

"Sure, thank you." He said. "I'll summon a few of my dogs for extra protection." He said, making the handsigns and summoning his pack as he spoke. The other blacksmith exited, an older woman with short blonde hair. She smiled at the pair as well, holding the door as they entered.

"Thank you," Izanami said as she climbed into the caravan.

The night carried on, and Kakashi took his mask off as he watched Izanami struggle to get comfortable against the wooden window. Hours passed, the night got warmer as it reached dawn. He removed his gloves and tapped on her shoulder. He knew she was awake. She peeked an eye open and was shocked to see his real face. He had a small smile on his face and he raised a hand as if to wave.

"Kakashi-sensei, you took off your mask?" she asked, wide awake now.

"I just felt comfortable. I was going to ask if you wanted to lay your head on my lap to sleep. I know you've been through a lot, and I don't usually do stuff like this but I worry about your wellbeing, Nami-chan." His eyes squinted as his smile grew and he sweatdropped a little from overcoming his anxiety. Izanami removed her own mask, smiling as him smally as she did. Her rosy cheeks showed he had made her blush, and it made him blush too.

"Thanks, Kakashi. I'm really okay though, I'm hardly tired at all!" She lied through her teeth, and he frowned. He had hoped that by opening up to her that she would trust him more. It took a lot for him to reveal his face to someone, and even though they had been acquaintances for years, he felt like it was still too soon for her to see his face. She pouted at his pout, and pulled him in for a hug.

He was taken aback, but eventually rested his head against hers, and wrapped his arms around her back. He inhaled her scent a little, she had a bond with him that he never really experienced with his subordinates. It was like she simply understood him. They held each other for a moment, and Kakashi felt something drip on his shoulder. He squeezed her tighter as he realized she was crying. She climbed into his lap as he did, and he just held her. His anger reignited, he would make Genma pay for what he did to his pupil.

"Kaka-Sensei?" She pulled away for a moment to look him in the eyes. His heart broke as the tears made her eyes red and puffy.

"Yes, Nami-chan?"

She would have to live with this trauma the rest of her life, all for the sake of Genma's pleasure. He hated Genma for it.

"Please don't be mad at Genma."

Kakashi furrowed his brows, angry that she could request such a thing from him. He was about to speak when the caravan stopped.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sasuke shouted from outside.

Instantly, they put their masks back on and jumped out of the caravan.

"What's going on?" Kakashi asked.

"It's Karin. I told her to scout ahead for other chakras, and she hasn't come back."

"How long ago had she left?" Izanami asked, pulling her hood over her head as she prepped to search the forest.

"About 10miles back, maybe 30 minutes ago."

"Got it," Izanami said, her body moved without her controlling it as she made a handsign she didn't know. "Transformation Jutsu!" Her voice shouted.

Suddenly, her body engulfed in orange flame-like chakra, and her pupils contracted into a diamond shape as her nails warped into retractable claws as she took off.

Her ears had changed as well, she could hear things that she wasn't able to before. She focused on her hearing; a river… a deer nibbling on some berries… soft, deep breathing… _**That's it!**_ She thought, snapping her head in the direction of the sound. She began to run towards the sound, honing in on the sound of Karin snoring. She chuckled as she realized that Karin must have passed out. She slowed down, realizing that a sleeping Kunochi was _not_ something you'd want to mess with. She peered over the tree she was in, looking down to see an unconscious Karin. _**That's odd**_, Izanami thought. She recalled when Karin had been sleeping the night before. She had taken her glasses off, and slept on her left side, her arm upright tucked under a pillow. She furrowed her brows as she crouched, scanning the area before she jumped down.

_What is it, Hayami-san?_ The voice in her head asked, noticing the change in her heart rate.

_**It seems like there was some foul play of sorts.**_ Izanami said to the demoness. _**It also smells a little like… Iron?**_ Her eyes widened, _**Blood**_.

She drew her kunai in a defensive stance before she approached the kunoichi slowly. Her ears couldn't hear anyone else's heartbeat or even breaths so she put the kunai away as she searched Karin for injuries. She wasn't snoring like she had been the day before, and her glasses had a crack in them. She moved her friend's hair from her face, revealing a large dent to her temple that was still bleeding. Quickly, she reached for her medkit and began to treat her wound. _**What happened here? It looks like someone hit her upside the head with a rock.**_

_Maybe someone did. Hold on._

She took a step back and the demon relayed another new jutsu to her; "Lava clone jutsu!" They said in unison as lava melted from Izanami's shadow into four clones.

"You four, spread out and find the person that did this." She ordered the clones that we standing, "And you," She looked to the one in the tree, "Go back to Kakashi-sensei and tell him what we discovered. I'll keep watch on her." The clones disappeared, all heading in different directions.

"Don't worry, Karin. I won't let anyone hurt you," Izanami said as she sat beside the body of her friend. Intel from the clone sent to Kakashi transferred to Izanami's mind. It appears as soon as she left, some rogue ninja had attacked the caravan. They had won, but one ninja managed to escape, poofing away her clone with a shuriken bomb. She got on her hands and crouched in a defensive stance. Her chakra radiated as she performed an earth style: petrifying jutsu on Karin. A protective rock shell formed over her body, healing it with Izanami's charka. Something was jumping through trees from the direction that Kakashi-sensei was at. She braced herself, claws out and hand raised for an attack. Down came Sasuke, with his own sword raised up. Both of the shinobi widened their eyes in surprise, barely missing their strike by aiming for each other's chakra-infused blades. They were standing against one another, trying to avoid losing dominance.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing Sasuke!" Izanami growled at boy, morbidly vivid.

"I thought you were the Rogue ninja!" He shouted back, she hesitated, then released her hold against him.

"Oh, well I put Karin in a petrifying jutsu; I don't think it will take long for her to recover. I sent lava clones in each direction but so far none of them have found any sign of-" She stopped as intel of a clone being killed hit her.

"North, about 1 o'clock, 10 kilometers out, one shinobi running back for his friend at the caravan."

Sasuke groaned, "Now I have to go all the way back."

"Don't worry," Izanami punched her balled up fist against her right palm. "My lava clones and I are going this time, Karin is almost ready." And with that, the pair took off. Their speed matching, Sasuke looked over at Izanami.

"Hmmph."

Izanami smirked at his choice of acknowledgment. The power she was using gave her such an adrenaline rush, and she fed on the encouragement of her peers. It made her feel notice when they would create a small bond; like he did by comparing himself to her. They arrived at the caravan just in time.

Using his Sharingan, Sasuke was able to pinpoint exactly where the enemy was going to strike and how he would do it. He was able to lead Izanami up to the speed necessary in order to strike the second he got there. Simultaneously, they performed their most distinguished jutsus:

"Lightning style: Chidori!"

"Lava Style: Lava bombs!"

Their strikes landed on the enemy just in time; A shadow clone that had snuck up on The caravan behind them had disappeared due to the death of the original ninja.

Lava clones had turned themselves into lava walls, protecting the caravan from any strikes from behind as well. A few moments passed, Sasuke and Izanami were panting, everyone waited for another person to come along. It wasn't until they realized nobody was coming, did everything go black for Izanami.

She blinked her eyes slowly as the bright yellow of the sky blinded her vision. She lifted her hands to shade herself and look away, but noticed the yellow was surrounding her. A loud, angry scream came at her and she quickly realized what it was.

"CHAAAA! HAYAMI-CHAN I LITERALLY JUST LEFT YOU YESTERDAY HOW CAN YOU GET INTO SO MUCH TROUBLE YOU DIED SO QUICKLY!?" Her mother scolded her, flailing her arms as the adolescent deadpanned.

"Uhhgg. Mooooom, I'm not dead!" She whined, "I think I just went unconscious!"

"Oh! In that case, what happened? Did you slip in the shower again?"

Izanami sweatdropped. _**Gee, my mother really couldn't embarrass me any more, could she?**_She thought, wanting to die on the inside.

_Hey, at least she's concerned._

She chuckled at the goddess' response.

"I think I overexerted my chakra again. Man, I gotta stop doing that."

"WHAAAAT?! You've done it more than once in a row and survived?

"Yeah, come to think of it," She placed her hand on her chin in thought, "I think I just had this happen to me for the first time last night."

"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU HAD THIS HAPPEN TWICE IN 24 HOURS?"

Izanami trembled in fear, her mother was scary when she was angry. "Ye-Yes, ma'am."

"Baaaakaaaaa!" She growled, slapping the girl in the face.

"Ahh, mom! Are you kidding me right now, I didn't die ya know!" She defended herself poorly.

"You're right, Nami-chan, I'm glad you're still alive after that foolish attempt." She stated.

"Thank-"

"_But if you come back here because you exhausted your chakra again, I will personally drag you to the Land of Benevolent Souls and feed you to the Sage of Six Paths,__ do you understand me__?_" The tone in her voice shook Izanami to her core.

"Hai, Ka-tan! I promise I will take better care of my powers." She saluted her mother off as she came to.

The sound of the heart rate monitor beeping nearby was the first thing she heard. She tried to wiggle her toes and realized she could finally control her brain enough to come into consciousness. She smiled softly as she slowly opened her eyes, lids heavy as she realized the warm spot on her knee was a snoring Karin, hunched over the edge of the hospital bed with her arms wrapped around her head.

Izanami shook her head in response to the image, she lifted her fingers to her face and rub her eyelids and stretch her arms. She looked over to the chart beside her bed and seen she was in there for Chakra Exhaustion. They had her on plenty of saline as well as some liquified food pills that kept building her chakra receivers back up. They also had Karin coming in every few hours to replenish chakra to Izanami. She yawned, looking back at Karin and shaking her awake gently.

"Karin-chan, how long was I asleep? I want to go get some ramen, or maybe a couple of mochi, can you wake up? Am I allowed to leave yet, hey- can you get up now? I'm hungry."

Karin groaned, stretching out for a bit then jolting as she realizes Izanami is awake.

"Izanami-san! You're finally awake. I'm so glad! Let me go find a nurse." She ran out, leaving Izanami— and her growling tummy— behind.

She pouted as she held her stomach in place. She got up to use the restroom, putting chakra into her feet as she walked to the toilet. She assumed that because her period had continued, by evidence of the trash can, she must have only been out for a few hours since they had been close to the gates. Sakura, on duty, walked in as Izanami walked out of the restroom, she stopped in her trails, shocked to find Izanami on her feet and drying her hands with a paper towel.

"Izanami-san! You're supposed to be on bed rest!" Sakura cried, reaching out to Izanami so she can put her back on the bed.

"Sakura-san? Oh, hey! Why can't I be on my feet, Sakura? I feel just fine." She nonchalantly replied. "Oh, by the way, I don't know where to throw this away because the trash in there is full. How long was I out anyways? A couple of hours? Is it Late Thursday night or early Friday morning? She asked, unable to see outside the window that was behind the blinds.

"Uhh, Izanami," Karin started,

"It's Saturday afternoon." Sakura answered.

"Well that's not too bad, right?" Izanami chuckled.

"It's Saturday afternoon, two weeks since you returned to the Leaf."

"Whaaat?! Two weeks! No wonder I'm so starving! I need to get an all you can eat right now!" Izanami shouted, flailing in distress.

"Hey!" Sakura shouted back, "You almost died and that's what you're concerned about? Chaaaa!" She smacked Izanami upside the head; making her sweatdrop as she muttered: "Uhhhg, déjà vu." To herself.

_This girl reminds me of your mother, Hayami-chan._

_**Yeah, I know, she's pretty scary too.**_

_She is but… Don't tell her that._

Izanami laughed in her mind. She could get used to having someone else in her head.

"Hey, I told you I'm fine alright? Or are we going to ignore the fact that I just went to the bathroom by myself and noticed the trash hasn't been taken out in two weeks. What kinda hospital is this that's a biohazard of some type isn't it?"

Sakura deadpanned at her response, hunching over as she stared in awe at Izanami.

"We kept you alive for two weeks, and that's what you say to me first?" She groaned, writing her discharge up and walking out to turn them in. She came back 10 minutes later, after Karin had given Izanami a bag of clothes that Tenten had dropped off so she could change.

Sakura watched as she read a get well card and a few balloons/gifts that her friends left her.

"We were told you weren't going to make it." She spoke softly, "Lady Tsunade said that the chances of you surviving two chakra exhaustions within 24 hours were so slim, that it only convinced everyone to prepare for your resistance to pull through." She smiled at the kunoichi. "They have been pooling money together to throw a Thank-You-For-Not-Dying party for you when you woke up. If you're up for it, of course." The girls giggled, Izanami's heart skipped a beat as she realized why she exhausted her chakra in the first place. She furrowed her brows and frowned as she remembered what happened the first time.

"He's spending the rest of his life in shinobi prison," Karin answered the question forming on Izanami's face. "You won't have to worry about facing him in trial. The testimonies of Kakashi, Kiba, and Neji, as well as the evidence they gathered, defeated any counter-argument that he attempted to defend himself with."

Izanami looked at her body. She was wearing loose black haram pants, as well as a halter style dark purple Chunin vest with a long-sleeve fishnet shirt underneath it. She put some slip-on ninja sandals on, and her skull-face designed face mask, to leave the room. Sakura looked at her with slight guilt as she handed her the papers to sign. She had misjudged Izanami to be some evil, lusty woman, but she was instead a kind hearted, misunderstood girl like herself. She sympathized with Izanami, for she had known that if she had faced the trauma of Izanami; She would not have been alive.

Izanami gathered her things and left, making sure that Karin could keep up with her. Lady Tsunade came running around the corner as she did.

She knocked into her with accidental force, toppling the young shinobi over enough to drop her box of items.

"So sorr- Izanami-kun? What are you doing out of your room?" She asked out loud, confused as to why she was able to stand straight. She smirked and crossed her arms in realization, "Now I see, well it seems you're strong enough to make it this time. But I'm putting you on the bench for now, you're barred from accepting any missions for another two weeks."

Izanami groaned loudly, "But m'LAAADYY-"

"No buts!" She scolded, pointing her finger at her in anger.

The kunoichi growled, muttering curses at her as she picked up her stuff and left. The crisp Autumn wind carried a soft cherry scent as the Chery Blossoms wilted away. Never has she ever felt more enveloped in compassion by Sakura, quite literally and mentally. She was grateful the Kunoichi had done all she could to save her life, although she felt like she shouldn't have done it.

She and Karin stopped for several different shops on the way to the Chunin's apartment and the hungry girl was satisfied by the time she got home. Karin offered to help her up the stairs but Izanami dismissed her, saying that she could handle a flight of stairs or two. Her heart was pounding by the time she reached her door, the anxiety of civilians staring her down and the nerves she felt as she approached the door melted away when the door opened and her eyes met her best friends.

"Nami-chan, it's you!" the girls praised in unison, grabbing their friend in a passionate bear pile hug. They started to cry as they hugged her, thinking about how they thought she was going to die and what they would do with her stuff.

"I almost died, and that's the first thing you say to me, aw jeez ya fools!" She pouted, they all laughed in response, while Hinata and Tenten took a few items to carry in. They had kept the apartment spotless, just for Izanami.

"You guys cleaned! Aw, I'm so proud of you!" She teased.

"Only because we knew you'd haunt us if you died and saw we weren't cleaning as often as you." Hinata teased back, sticking her tongue out at her.

She smiled as they entered her room. She set her cards down on her dresser and the girls had left to the kitchen to place the balloons and pot the flowers. She decided to jump in the shower, making sure it was scalding hot before she hopped in. Her skin felt gritty from the sponge baths. She reached for a full body scrub she made herself that was made out of coffee, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. She sighed in relief as her pores smoothed out in reaction to her body scrub. She started to comb conditioner through her hair as her shaving cream opened up the pores on her legs, lady bits, and arm pits. She went over the spaces with a brand new razor, slowly. She enjoyed days when she could relax like this, and take as long as she needed to get ready. As she washed the conditioner out, she exfoliated her face with an electric facebrush. She was now a layer of skin thinner, something she was glad to be rid of.

She stepped out of the tubbed shower, grabbing the towel on the wall beside her. Her mirror was fogged up, the smell of vanilla and bamboo filled her bathroom, and she tended to her skin; she lathered on coconut oil all over her body. Examining her face, she plucked at a few straggling hairs on her eyebrows and applied a toner to tighten the appearance of her cheeks and moisturizer to rehydrate the skin.

She let her hair air dry into her natural ringlets as she started her routine. She slipped on her favorite pair of panties: a lace lined, meshed high rise tan thong. Instead of a bra she decided on letting the girls hang for a night. She slipped into a low cut top with a maroon color and princess styled with an open chest that accentuated her cleavage, and loose sleeves that frilled out a bit at the ends. It was long enough to pull off being a dress on the shorter side. She slipped on thigh-high heels, in the same color, and started her makeup, eventually ending two hours later by separating her dried, soft curls into a more voluminous style and taking the top half in her hand to split in half vertically with her nose and french braiding the two halves backwards but stopping at the back of her hair. At the places she stopped, she turned the small strands into mini buns, with hair clips that resembled spiked collars. She added a choker of the same design and analyzed the job she had done on her face; She had applied the same eyeliner she wore on her journey to the Sand, and now accentuated her features with bronzer to contour her cheek bones, and highlighter to make her skin glow in a luminescent way. She finished the look with a deep red lipstick, blending the edges of her lips out with a brown lipliner to give her pout definition. She hesitated before leaving the bathroom, she still hated the way she looked. _**Why couldn't I have been less inviting**_? She thought, squeezing her balled fists so hard her knuckles turned white.

_Hayami-chan, even if you were not as beautiful as you are now, there will always be evil humans among man. Some people are lucky to die without having somebody take advantage of them in their lives, but women like you are far from a few. You have to understand that dwelling on it can not prevent other women from experiencing it. I'm glad that mongrel is in jail. I only wish they would have killed him._

Izanami smiled at little and relaxed her hands as she saw the goddess' image in the mirror as she spoke.

_**Thank you, Izanami-sama.**_

* * *

_A/N thanks for reading! I hope this longer chapter suits your favors. I also hope that you guys are still here after what happened to Izanami was revealed. Let me know what you think in the comments!_


	6. Chapter 6: Competition, Where? (smut)

Izanami ventured into the living room, earning a gasp from Hinata and whistle from Tenten.

"Yes, Izanami!" Cheered Tenten, who was wearing a tight white dress, that creased at her small waist, giving the façade of her curves a way to pop out. She wore kitten heels, as she couldn't stand being taller than she already was and carried a small clutch with her ninja items. "You look so beautiful! Tonight is gonna be amazing!"

"Nami-chan, my, you have to give me room to breathe!" Hinata giggled, hugging her beloved friend tightly, "Thank you, for coming back to us. I don't know what I would have done if I couldn't have you around." The shy girl's eyes welled up with tears. She forced a smile to avoid crying and ruining the makeup Tenten applied on her. Her outfit was less revealing; a turtleneck black bodysuit, with bell bottom type ends of her sleeves. Her choice of bottoms consisted of black nylon tights, along with a white skater skirt on top and a pair of spandex shorts underneath the skirt.

Izanami felt love once again and silently thanked the demon inhabiting her body for saving her life.

"Okay, enough of the sentimentals!" She huffed, pulling back from the hug and. Holding Hinata by her shoulders. She glanced back at Tenten and smirked before speaking:

"Let's go make sensei spend a lot of money on food!" She giggled as they left.

The girls linked their arms as they walked to the dinner party at the barbecue place that Neji suggested. Izanami learned that while she was unconscious, Sasuke and Kiba revealed what Izanami confided in them to the Hokage, and in return they asked that they could be the ones to throw Genma in prison. Tenten and Hinata had already know what had happened to her, but she was worried other people will now look at her differently. Tenten saw the reaction on her face but assured her that the Hokage made sure that the only people who would receive the information was Kakashi and Guy; They were her senseis afterall. In the dark, clear sky, Izanami could see her favorite star twinkling down on her. It gave her hope that she could find someone who would truly care about her in the ways she assumed Genma had. Immediately she began to think of the strong, nimble hands of—

"Izanami! Did you hear me?" Tenten interrupted her imagination, "Ino had told me that her and Neji broke up after your mission. I told her that she shouldn't be upset since she was with Sai anyway! She got so mad, but she eventually admitted I was right." She said, matter-of-factly.

Her words had echoed through Izanami's mind as she glanced into the restaurant and saw way too many civilians.

"Don't worry, Nami-chan," Hinata said as she noticed the look on her face, "We only need to stay for an hour. Maybe less?" She looked over at Tenten for support.

"Yeah! I only invited a couple of them, because you need time to recover. But we all had to pitch in for your actual promotion party, so whenever you're ready for that, we have to stay a while."

Izanami took a deep breath as they entered, slightly loud music played out of the restaurant speakers. She looked over at the tables that had been sectioned off for the party; She flushed as she saw the amount of people who waved at her in excitement.

"Nami-chan, over here!" Kiba's shout caused her to snap her head in his direction and smile. He motioned for her to come over to the long table. She decided to sit between Kiba, and Tenten. On Kiba's right was Kakashi and across from the copy ninja sat his eternal rival, and Izanami's sensei, Guy. Across from Izanami sat Hinata, on her left was Naruto, and on her right at the end of the table was Neji. Tenten had sat across from Neji, to the left of Izanami. Sakura came in shortly after the girls did, apologizing for the delay due to the hospital being busy tonight. The hum of dozens of conversations filled the air, and it somehow eased Izanami's nerves about seeing her friends a little.

"So, Izanami, is it okay if I call you Nami-chan too?" Naruto interrupted her thoughts.

Izanami giggled, _**How silly of him**_. "Of course, Naruto-Senpai." She said, earning a glance from Neji. She looked at him, too, for a brief second. Then back at Naruto, who was cheesing in response to her affirmation.

"So how long are you going to be off duty, Nami-chan?" Kiba asked, leaning into the wall and spreading his arms out. He subtlety laid his arm to rest around the booth behind Izanami's back. He was chewing on a toothpick as he asked her, twirling it around his mouth. She felt her face flush as he stared into her eyes and looked away to rearrange the silverware in front of her.

"I'm actually not sure yet. Tsunade-sama says it could be two weeks, but I'm going to continue training and hope that I can get back on missions in less than a week." She said, swirling the straw in her cup of water around. Kiba leaned forward a bit, lowering his hand behind her back and softly letting his fingers drag down her spine. Goosebumps grew up her arms and she fake shivered like she was cold, before flashing a look at Kiba.

"Well hopefully you can take Sakura's place while she's working the hospital!" Naruto said, "I heard all about your cool powers from Sasuke, ya know!" He threw her a thumbs up, "Lava style is a Kekkei Genkai, it would be super cool if you could show me something like that."

"Yeah, sure, Naruto-senpai!" She smiled at the blonde boy, rubbing her arms to get rid of the chill. Hinata changed the subject to the fact that Izanami had been promoted, and the group all participated in talking about her talent to Naruto.

Every so often, she would look over at Neji. He seemed to be avoiding eye contact and wasn't talking much to her in specific.

_**He wasn't mine anyways. Did I really think that someone who would use me as an opportunity to cheat would stick around?**_

_Why do you have to think like that? Also, totally unrelated but…..We should burn him in lava._

Izanami choked on her water in response to the Goddess' claim. Tenten patted her on the back, making sure she was okay.

"I'm good," Izanami squeaked, raising a hand to stop Tenten. "I just- it went down my windpipe."

_So, do you want to burn him now?_

**Stop it, you're bad!**

Izanami giggled out loud as she spoke to her inner self. She knew that the demoness was joking, but she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to see Neji jumping around on hot stones in order to level the playing field of heartache.

_That dog-boy might have something good for you, however… I think I like the taste of that Uchiha's chakra. Tell me you felt the same, too._

_**Hmm, I'm not sure. I can't really remember how we got so in sync during our battle. He didn't show up anyways, so maybe it's for the best.**_

Sakura began to tell Izanami about how she was learning how to make a chakra reserve like Lady Tsunade as the group ate. Everybody was relaxing and getting along really well. It made Izanami's eyes well up with tears.

"And then she said— Nami-chan? Are you okay?" Sakura was worried as she noticed a few teardrops hit the table. Everyone turned to look at her.

"I'm sorry guys, I just feel very…. Loved. Right now. You're all the closest things I have to family." She wiped her tears away with a napkin Neji had reached over the table to give her. Their fingers touched for a moment, and he gave her a warm smile. "Thank you. Thank you all for being my friends. I really appreciate it." She sniffled, all of a sudden a wailing Guy slammed his fist on the table.

"THIS. Is what youth feels like! Oh, Izanami-chan, you make my heart ache for you young shinobi. True friendship, is the best love you can get!" He sobbed, reaching for her hand in the most dramatic way. She giggled and squeezed her hand when it rested in his.

"Guy-Sensei you have been nothing but an inspiration of creation to me, so you are also very much appreciated!" She made him sob harder as the table was cleared. The hour had gone by so fast that she didn't even realize it passed until Kakashi stood up.

"Well, before I go, I'd like to say something" He started, pocketing his hands as he faced the young shinobi, "As shinobi, we all go through different types of trauma. Just because you face adversity and hardships is no reason to give up in this world. A person, willing to throw away all his memories of his friends and comrades will never find peace of mind. If you persevere and endure, someone will be there to support you. I believe that those bonds might even be stronger than familial ones. Here's a toast to your bonds, may they never be severed." He finished, and Neji stood up as well.

"And to Izanami making Chunin!" This made the whole group stand up, raising their cups of various juices, lemonades, and teas, and clinking them together as they cheered for Izanami. For a moment, her mind had rested in peaceful bliss. _For a moment._

The night grew cold as the young woman lay wide awake. Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she tossed and turned, unable to sleep in the sheets she had once shared with Genma.

_**I need to get out of here**_, she thought as she jumped out of bed, slid some sandals on and left. She was wearing a pair of pajama shorts, and a satin shirt.

_Where are you gonna go_?

Izanami ignored the demon and kept walking, almost skipping down the steps as she made her way out of the complex.

_Do you even know what time it is? You should go back to bed._

_**Stop talking!**_

She stormed down the street, heading to the Hokage's square. She stopped when she noticed a familiar shadow out front of the Jonin apartments. As she approached, his long brown hair started to whip around in the wind. He flicked his cigarette at the ground as she did, stomping it out before taking a step towards her.

"Nami-chan, what are you doing out here? It's one in the morning." The Hyuuga boy rushed to her side, rubbing his hands along the chilled girl's arms to warm her up.

"I couldn't sleep." She shivered, looking off to the street light on her left.

"Do you want to come inside?" He furrowed his brows in worry, confused as to why she chose to wander around so late.

"P-Please."

He led the way to his apartment, hands on her shoulders in an embrace to keep her warm. He unlocked- and opened, the door for her. The warmth of his home enveloped her, and she breathed it in.

Cinnamon.

His hand pulled Izanami in by her hand, his palms were soft. Like she remembered.

She held on to it as she removed her sandals with her feet, and they walked into the living room. She ran her fingers along the walls, looking at all the awards and paintings he had perched against it. When they arrived at the couch, the source of heat was revealed. His apartment, in lieu of central heating, had a fireplace. They sat on the couch in front of it, Izanami leaned against the armrest and her legs laid over his lap. He pulled a blanket over them and laid his head on her shoulder, hoping she was comfortable.

"Since when did you start smoking?" She asked, almost laughing as she teased him.

"Why, do I stink?" He prepared to get up, but her hand on his face stopped him. He looked in her eyes and felt his face heat up.

"It was just a question, Neji," She smiled as she noticed his flush, her thumb rubbing his cheek as he grabbed her hand and rested his head against it.

"Well, it's just a habit… Stupid of me, I know."

"Since when do you make self-deprecating jokes?"

"Since when do you wander around the middle of the night?"

"You got me there," she giggled, and pressed her forehead against his, inhaling deeply as she let her anxiety melted away, and her trembling ceased.

"There we go," He whispered, "What's been bothering you, Koibito?"

Tears fell from her face and soft sobs left her lips, hearing him call her his lover in this time of need only worsened her pain. He shushed her, pulling her into his body and squeezing a little.

"Come on, now. You are stronger than that."

"Why didn't I stop him? Why can't I stop him?" She whimpered, nuzzling her face into his neck as she squeezed his shirt. He sighed, and stood up, carrying her bridal-style to his bedroom. He laid her under his duvet, before undressing to his boxers and laying beside her. She was facing him, one hand under her pillow and the other brushing his hair out of the way. He stared at her for a while before speaking.

_He's kind of pretty, isn't he?_ The goddess said.

"You're not responsible for other people's actions. He's gone now, and he won't be coming back. He can't hurt you where he's at." He stated, and he was right, but Izanami's pain wasn't physical. He understood that, yet he couldn't sympathize with it. Being an intellectual, he believed she should push through the pain the same way she would push from physical injuries.

_He thinks highly of you._

"I know." Her voice squeaked as she responded to both the goddess and the boy in front of her. She reached over his body and laid hers on top, tracing small circles on his bare chest as she listened to his heartbeat. It reminded her of the drumline at the Cherry Blossom festival the year they met.

~Flashback; 3 years prior~

"Hey, Izanami-san, why don't you come sit with us? We are your team after all!" A young Tenten spoke.

Izanami looked behind the girl with the buns as she made her attempt to walk across the street to their table.

"Isn't she our age? Why doesn't she have a Genin vest?" Lee asked.

"Because not everyone is as fast learning as you guys! Baka, you're gonna make her feel unwelcomed." The girl replied, smacking him on the head as she did.

"Well, she kind of is. I mean didn't you guys hear what she did?" Neji plainly said, causing Izanami to gasp and run away.

She wiped away her tears as she arrived at a blocked off section of the festival. A parade had started, the banging of drums and sounds of confetti flickering through the air made her stay. She watched as the performers walked by, in awe of their talent. A young woman was handing out flower crowns made of Cherry Blossom petals and fake cherries. She placed one on Izanami's head and smiled, "Welcome to the Festival!" She cheered as she pranced away.

Izanami's heart warmed, she gathered up the courage and walked back to the tables, determined.

"Oh! Izanami," Tenten said, mouth full of dumpling, "Nice crown!"

"Thanks, I got it at the parade."

"No way! I wish to wear one of these as well, be back soon!" Lee shouted, speeding down the road to collect his own crown.

"Would you like some dumplings?" Tenten offered.

"Oh, um, yes… Thank you." She sheepishly replied, taking a singular dumpling from Tenten's stick and biting into it. It was the most amazing thing she's ever ate. The food at the orphanage wasn't any good compared to this. It was sweet on the outside but had a savory meat filling. She had only ever ate take-out food when she would make extra money, so this treat gave her tastebuds a whirlwind.

"I'm sorry about what Neji said earlier." Tenten interrupted the blissful thoughts as she finished the dumpling. She looked around for him before responding.

"It's cool," She said with a small shrug, "I'm used to that kind of treatment."

"Hopefully he will warm up to you now that we're teammates! I'm so excited to have another girl with us. Boys can be so annoying."

Izanami giggled, "Yeah, I feel that." She eyed the plate of dumplings for bit and flushed when Tenten had scooted the plate toward her.

"You can have more, Sensei bought them for us!" Tenten smiled widely at the shy girl in the hood.

Izanami pulled her hood down to reveal her cyan blue hair as the wind picked up, then proceeded to grab another dumpling.

"So how was the parade?"

"It was beautiful, I've never been so close to the center of the village before."

"Tenten, Izanami! Neji and I bought mochi." Lee said, running to the girls and sitting beside Tenten with his flower crown on. Izanami smiled at him as he ate the sweet treat. Neji was left standing but approached the space on the bench beside Izanami and sat down next to her. He held out the box for Tenten to grab one from it. When she did she eyed for him to offer Izanami one of the last two. He sighed and turned to Izanami, the first time he's ever been up close to her, and he studied her freckled nose and pouting lips as she stared at the ground to avoid talking to him.

"Would you…" He stopped when she looked at him, enthralled by her beautiful purple eyes. Lee cleared his throat, bringing him back to reality. "S-Sorry, um, would you like a mochi? There's a chocolate one and a peach one left." He offered, a small blush on his face from Lee. The drumline made their way around the corner, catching Lee and Tenten's attention.

"Oh, the drummers! Tenten, let's go meet up with Guy-Sensei at the corner." Lee said, rather excitedly before taking the kunoichi by the hand and dragging her off.

Neji watched them run off before looking back at Izanami. "So which one do you want?" He snapped a little.

"Oh! Um, I've never had mochi before…" she said as she pulled her hood back up, "Which one do you prefer?"

"I like peach more than I like chocolate, but if you want the peach you can have it. Hurry, though, we have to go catch up with our squad mates."

"Okay, um…" She said hurriedly and she chose the chocolate one. Neji grabbed the peach one and bit half of it off. Izanami watched him to see how it was eaten, then copied his movements.

"Mmm. I wasn't expecting there to be ice cream in it!" She giggled a bit before finishing the remaining half.

"Yeah. They're pretty good, but I don't eat sweets too often.." He said.

"Me too," Izanami replied.

In the same instant they had both continued their thoughts as they said:

"I prefer savory over sweet."

They both stopped, blushing a little and looking away from each other before standing up and walking to the corner of the street. Izanami smiled at him as they approached the team. He didn't return it and instead shoved his hands in his pocket.

~End Flashback~

Now here she was, laying on his half naked body. Her breasts pressed against his chest and his hand resting on her lower back. She looked up at his face, and he had already been watching her.

"Thank you." She said, scooting her body up so she could plant a kiss on his cheek. He rubbed her back slightly before she pressed her forehead onto his.

"I missed you a lot." He whispered, bringing her leg over his lap, and rubbing his thumb around her thigh. "It pained me to hear Tsunade-sama say there was a high chance of you dying."

"But I didn't die," She whispered back, "I'm right here." They stared into each other's eyes before he gently pulled her face into his, crashing their lips together passionately. Izanami melted into his touch, matching his passion as she gripped his face to kiss him. Her hands shook each time their lips parted. She deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue between his lips as he wrapped his arms fully around her waist in a strong embrace. She moved her hips as their kisses became sloppier, more desperate. The strap of her top fell over her shoulder, and Neji took it as an opportunity to leave her lips and kiss her neck.

Izanami gasped slightly as he started to suck a little bit, and she felt his erection through her shorts. He moaned softly as she rubbed her body against his. Her face flushed as her arousal grew. He squeezed her ass as she slipped her shirt off over her head. He brought her face down to his lips once more, groping her breast gently while they kissed. He could hardly fit one in his palm, but he loved the hums she'd make when he'd touch her. Their bodies were getting warmer, and she slid down his torso; leaving wet kisses along his body as she pulled his boxers off. He stopped her for a moment, only to switch their positions and reach in his bedside table for a condom. She smiled at him as he slid it on, slipping out of her pajama shorts and tossing them to the side while he watched. She inched her fingers down to the hem of her panties, teasing him as she slowly pulled them off. She tossed them at his face, and he smirked before throwing them on the ground and jumping back on the bed, crawling up between her thighs until she felt his breath on her vagina.

She looked down at him, he was wrapping his arms around her legs, pulling them up over his shoulders as he licked at her clit; He stared into her eyes the entire time. She threw her head back as he licked and occasionally sucked on her cunt. He moaned at the taste of her and he familiarized himself with her pussy, testing out every movement he knew until he found one she reacted to most. She gripped the sheets, moaning his favorite honorific as he slipped his first and middle finger into her opening as he sucked on her clit.

"S-Senpai. I can't hold on," She gasped as he lapped at her clit faster, pumping his fingers in her simultaneously. "Fuck." She moaned, moving her hips a bit. It only frustrated him, though, so he removed his fingers from her and re-wrapped his arm around her leg, gripping her thighs tight as he proceeded to eat her out. Her moans got louder, progressing over time before she was gasping, playing with her nipple with one hand and gripped his hair with the other. Her thighs squeezed shut on his face every so often and he couldn't breathe, but he didn't mind. He pulled back before she came, wiping his face and licking his two middle fingers before using them to rub her clit circles. He loved to watch the faces she made as she came.

"Cum for me, koibito." He mumbled, picking up the speed of his fingers. She looked him in the eyes as she did, her brows furrowed, nose crinkled, and lip being pulled in as she released.

Neji smirked, planting a kiss on the panting girl, before climbing on top of her. He lined up his dick to her entrance and watched her eyes as he filled her up. She whimpered as he entered, bringing her knees up and wrapping her legs around his hips to pull him in deeper. He moaned in her ear as she did and whispered to her how good she felt. She ran her nails against his back and arched her back as his he sped up.

"Tell me how it feels," He said, kissing her neck up to her lips where he whispered, "Tell me how good your Senpai is making you feel." His lips trembled as he rammed his full length in her. She screamed in pleasure.

"Fuck, Senpai, you feel so good," she moaned, biting on his shoulder as he thrusted harder. "I can feel you in my stomach." She whispered in his ear, "Oh, you fill me up so well, Neji-senpai. You're so strong." He growled in response, holding on to the headboard with one hand and gripping onto her hip with the other. She dug her nails into his skin, gripping him and squeezing her legs tightly as she reached her climax. He brought his hands down and gripped the sheets by her ears.

"N-Neji, I'm gonna-"

"Fuck, me too." He moaned. She gripped his wrists, their eyes meeting as he became sloppy with his thrusts. Her moans captivated him; He loved how vocal she was while being intimate. It only made his climax inch closer by the second. He kissed her lips as she held on to him, their bodies colliding and sticking to each other.

They reached their climax at the same time, and he slowed down, panting and nuzzling his face into her neck. Her moans turned to hums as she caught her breath.

"Do you think… You'll be able to sleep now?" Neji teased, laughing slightly as he pulled out of her.

She smacked his shoulder softly before getting up to use the restroom. He followed her, tossing the condom in the trash by the toilet, and examining the various bite and scratch marks she left on his body. He smirked, and looked at her for a reaction.

"Hey! Don't look at me while I pee, baka!" she scolded, covering her body as she did.

He laughed as he looked away, "I just spent twenty minutes with my face down there followed by another thirty minutes—"

"I know!" She yelled, still embarrassed. Her face was beet red, "At least turn away so I can wipe." He lifted his hands in defeat, turning away as he did. He decided to pick up the clothes, putting on his boxers, and setting Izanami's on the bed. Save for her panties, however. Those, he tucked away in a drawer. He wanted to save them in case she never came over again, because he wanted a keepsake of his conquest. He had finally gotten the girl of his dreams, but he couldn't help but think about what his family would say about her past. He accepted her as she is, but he had to take his clan's reputation into hand while determining if he wanted to be exclusive and official with her. She re-entered the bedroom, distracting his train of thought with how beautiful she was. He watched intently as she slide her clothes back on, examining the way her body stretched and her chakra hummed a small tune as her heart beat rapidly, her skin luminescent from the moonlight peering through the window. When she was done, he held his hands out for her to come to him. She did, blushing as she straddled into his lap.

"I want you to feel safe here," He started, her palm on his cheek as she wrapped her fingers around some loose hairs and tucked them behind his ear. "Even if you don't want to tell people about us, or if you decide to cut this part of our bond out, I want you to know that my arms will always be open for comfort from your mind. I will forever be a comrade first for you, no emotion is stronger than our platonic love." He spoke with integrity in his voice, as if he were giving subordinates an encouraging speech before a battle. It made her uncomfortable, but her heart felt lifted by his words.

"Thank you, Neji-chan." She whispered, biting the inside of her lip to avoid crying.

"I'm serious, Nami, I really care about your wellbein-" she cut him off with a passionate kiss. He exhaled deeply as he kissed her, knowing that she agreed with where they stood in their relationship. She pulled back enough to where their lips were still touching, but not locked together. He could feel her lips trembling as she took deep breaths.

"I know." She said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling herself into his torso tightly. "Friends first, no matter what."

He smiled on her lips, giving them a small peck before falling back onto the bed and holding on to her lower back as he pulled the blankets over their bodies.

_**He feels so nice.**_ She thought, speaking to the demon inhabiting her body.

_Yeah… Let's not burn him in lava just yet._

She giggled softly in her mind, a smile on her face as she drifted off to sleep. He rubbed her back as she did, continuing his thoughts from earlier before shoving them off and falling asleep to the sound of her soft, deep breaths.

In the morning, he woke up to an empty bed, and a small note on his side table.

'_I thought I should get home before daybreak to avoid getting questionable looks from my roomies, but I wish I stayed a bit longer; You looked so peaceful in your sleep. I'll be home all day if you're not busy. xx Izanami'_

He stretched out as she read the letter, a small pout on his lips as he realized how sore he was. He got up and took a hot shower, glancing at the marks on his body again before getting in.

Izanami, however, was still fast asleep in her bed. She had dreams about her new powers and would stay in bed an additional hour before she, too, got up for a shower. Her healing chakra receivers, and her bruised hips, groaned in an ache for pain relief as she let the water get to her desired heat. The steam from the shower fogged the mirror; _**It's better that way anyhow**_, she thought. She still felt insecure about her body, and how inviting she looked. Her shower seemed endless, the scalding water released the tension in her muscles, and felt like a warm embrace. She let it run down her face in bliss, thanking her body for not giving in on her. When she finished, her tanned skin seemed darker from the blood being circulated around due to the heat of the shower. She changed into a pair of high-waisted spandex leggings and remained braless as she wore a graphic t-shirt with Killer Bee's album cover on it, cropped to her ribcage. She figured since she was forced to stay off duty that she could relax a little in her house. She let her hair air dry, her beach like curls shrinking in length as they dried. When she let it dry on its own, it would shrink from the middle of her back and waist, to just between the bottom shoulder blades and the top of her shoulders. It frustrated her to lose the length, but her curls accentuated her heart shaped face in a perfect frame, so she didn't mind all that much.

She walked into the kitchenette and saw a note on the fridge that read:

"_Hey girls, I got called to my first A-rank mission, so I won't be home for a few days. Please don't throw your promotion party before I come back! I'll see you soon, and I promise I'll be safe._

_Love you both,_

_Twin Buns aka Tenten."_

Izanami sighed. She had hoped she could talk to Tenten about Neji. She wanted to see if she was really over him, because she wouldn't want to continue her relationship or whatever it is with him if she wasn't okay with it._** I should stop seeing him until I know for sure. **_She thought, earning a remark from the Goddess.

_Baahhh! If she doesn't claim him out loud, does it really matter?_

_**Yes, Izanami-sama. If her heart is claiming him, then I can't continue to claim him physically. Besides, you even said you like Kiba, right?**_

_Maybe… Okay, fine, try them all out! Case solved._

_**Oh my god, I cannot believe you just said that….**_

… _**You might have a point, though.**_

_HA!_

Izanami chuckled to herself, fixing a plate of strawberries, blueberries, and cantaloupe for her late breakfast. It was just after one o'clock in the afternoon, and she wondered where everyone else was. She decided to play some music from the mixtape she made back in her civilian life. She would get this tape recorder and copy many of her favorite songs onto it and she would have to buy more tapes as she got older. She sang along to the lyrics, stopping to chomp on her fruit every couple of minutes.

_**(lyrics)**_

She was happy, bouncing around as she ate, bobbing her head from side to side and doing little calf-raises around the living room in full view of the balcony. She hated being off duty, but since she was alone in her new home she felt relaxed. Her alone time was some of the worst experiences she had when growing up, but she grew attached to it. Her trauma has built strong walls around her true personality, and when there was no reason to have those walls, she flourished.

_**(Hair grow long like Chia**_

_**Money go long like Nia**_

_**I am the big idea**_

_**My twins big like Tia**_

_**My twins big like Tia, Tamera. Uh, wait)**_

The freedom leaked through her chakra receivers, small beads of lava exited her skin and the goddess animated herself. Dancing around the room with Izanami, their energy brought their bond closer. The Goddess felt the most happiness she's ever experienced, she smiled at her human seal; She wondered if her kids would have been this connected with her if she was on the Earth. There was a pause in her thoughts as she watched the kunoichi beam in bliss.

_Maybe we don't need to unleash my revenge on my husband… _The Goddess thought to herself. Izanami couldn't hear her because when their entities are separated, they can communicate as individual beings. But they have the option to merge their thoughts, if they wanted to. _Her mother would be so proud of who she is as a person. _

_**(They said "Doja hit so sticky, " I said, "Thank you very much"**_

_**Bent the whole world over and said, "Spank you very much")**_

Their bonding time was cut short; Izanami no-mikoto quickly merged back into the girl, they had sensed another chakra approaching. The music was still blaring but they heard the door knock, and Izanami strutted to the door.

_**Nothing is gonna ruin my mood**_, She thought.

_**Not even an unexpected visitor**__._

_Maybe it's that Uchiha stud, _The goddess drooled in their shared plane.

Izanami giggled, opening the door as she tossed a berry in her mouth. To her surprise, it was Kiba. She thought it would've been Neji. Or Hinata. He was a good surprise, however, she nearly choked on the blueberry in her mouth when she saw him. He was shirtless, his enlarged shoulders rippled as he pulled his hands behind his head and smiled at her knowingly and his abs blending into a nice v-line by his hips. The band of his boxers beneath peeked over the band of his jeans.

"Yo, Nami-chan!" His cheerful voice distracted her from drooling.

"He-Hey, Kiba!" She flushed, "What are you doing here?"

_He is so __fucking__ delicious._

_**I know.**_

"Oh, I heard the music from my apartment down the hall, and I figured since Hinata and Tenten don't usually blast music that it was you."

Izanami licked her lips subconsciously as he spoke, he was looking off to the direction of his apartment as he pointed where it was. Her eyes flitting between all his alluring features. He had sweat beading along his body.

"Oh, sorry is it bugging you?" She said, a little too seductively for her taste, as she leaned into the door way and placing a strawberry against her lips, snaking her tongue around it before taking a slow bite from it.

She sensed his bodily reaction before he could suppress the pheromones. She smirked a little as he brought his arms down to cross his chest in defeat.

_**Ha! Who's winning the "sexy-off" now?**_

"No, I-I just, I wanted to come to say hey. I was just cleaning up and your music reminded me to stop in and see how you were doing!" She knew she was making him uncomfortably aroused; She could see more sweat building on his brow as he bit his lip.

_**(Thick in thigh, thick in the waist**_

_**Thick in the right motherfuckin' places**_

_**Hits like Venus, Serena (Ayy)**_

_**He wanna eat up the caesar (Ayy)**_

_**Bonita, bonita, bonita (Ayy))**_

She swallowed the strawberry, licking her lips before wiping the side of her mouth with her thumb; She stared into his eyes as she seductively swept the remainder juices onto her tongue. He felt his dick twitch, imagining her lapping up his sperm the way she just did after she went down on him.

_**(He just wanna eat me like some candy, but I'm not his buttercup**_

_**These hoes swear that they can't stand me, but ain't never pullin' up)**_

He had subconsciously made steps forward, inhaling the sweet smell of her vanilla-scented skin. His eyes slowly changed into a haze of lust and animalistic instincts.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared from the steps, and he took a step back. They both looked over at the shadow as it came into the light, Izanami was taken aback from who it was.

"Sasuke-senpai, what are you doing here?" She asked innocently, making Kiba growl under his breath.

"I missed your party," he stated, "I was on a mission until today. So I thought I'd come straight to you." He was covered in dirt, blood that wasn't his, and some tears in his kimono.

"Oh, it's fine, not a big de-"

"It was to me," He interrupted as he arrived to her doorway. She looked over at a very frustrated Kiba, and back at Sasuke who side eyed the dog boy.

"We're you… Busy?" He raised an eyebrow, not really showing much more of emotion.

"No," Izanami started,

"Yeah," Kiba said at the same time,

They looked at each other, Izanami smirked and Kiba pouted a little.

"We were just talking, but if you want to come in you're welcome to. Nobody else is home right now so I'm just relaxing." The song's final chorus started back in her kitchen as they looked amongst each other awkwardly.

"Okay… I had something else I wanted to talk about, but if you and Kiba are busy-"

"It's cool, man, I can just stop by later." Kiba gave Izanami a knowing look before walking over to his apartment. She threw him a wink before heading inside after Sasuke.

He was taking his dirty clothes off in her room when she had found him.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't know you were changing." She laughed, turning away.

"It's fine, I don't care." He said.

"You wanna shower or bath or something? You have a cut that needs bandaging." She said, rushing into the bathroom to avoid staring at his body.

"I'm okay, but if you want to run a bath I wouldn't oppose one." He said as another song started on the record.

She laughed at his comment from the bathroom, kneeling over the tub and starting the hot water. She dropped a few tsps of epsom salt for pain relief, and a spritz of coconut oil for its moisturizing properties. He watched from her bed, how she bent over the tub, how she bit her lip in concentration as she measured the items carefully, and how she decided to put her hair messily in a ponytail before coming back into the bedroom.

_**(Through drought and famine, natural disasters; My baby has been around for me**_

_**Kingdoms have fallen, angels be calling.**_

_**None of that could ever make me leave…)**_

"So while that's filling I can take your clothes to the laundry," Izanami said, picking up the clothes he had already shed up off the floor.

He was left in his briefs, walking past her and into the bathroom while mumbling a small 'thanks.'

_**(Every time I look into your eyes I see it**_

_**You're all I need**_

_**Every time I get a bit inside I feel it)**_

The music continued as she tossed his clothes into the washer and started it before returning to her room. She peeked over in the bathroom as he sank himself into the hot water. He didn't remove his briefs, but she could see the outline of his—

"Izanami, are you done out there yet?" His voice ruined her filthy thoughts, snapping her back into reality as she sheepishly entered the bathroom.

"What do you need me in here for?" She asked, stopping at the doorway.

He motioned for her to come to him. She gave him an eyebrow raise before taking a few steps. She stopped when she reached the tub, but he grabbed her hand and lowered her to sit on the edge.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up." He said, looking away as he slid further into the water. He didn't want to admit it, but she made him nervous.

"Don't even worry about it. I'm glad you were on a mission. Because now you're back safe." She had brought her legs over the edge and into the hot water. Her feet floated around on his lap as she sang along softly to the song they could hear from her room.

_**(And when we're making love**_

_**Your cries they can be heard from far and wide…)**_

She wet a washcloth and wiped the blood off his face as she did, making Sasuke tense up as she did.

"It's only the two of us, everything I need's between those thighs." Sasuke watched her as she directed her attention to his wounds. Her voice was angelic, it reminded him of his mother singing to him as a child. She was beautiful, too, so it didn't make it easier for him to avoid yearning for her approval. He never felt this kind of need with anyone, be it a friend or his family, this feeling felt… Like he was bonded to her soul.

_**(You're all I need**_

_**Every time I get a bit inside I feel it**_

_**Ooh, who could've thought I'd get you, oh yeah, oh yeah, baby**_

_**Ooh, who would've thought I'd get you)**_

He reached his hand out to her face, water dripping down his palm, and across her lips. She looked over at him slowly. She could feel her heart beating against her chest as their eyes met.

_**(This feels like summer**_

_**Boy you make me feel so alive**_

_**Just be my lover**_

_**Boy, you'll lead me to paradise)**_

"Can I try something, Nami-chan?" His usual cold tone had softened. She was nervous, but she nodded slightly in response.

They leaned in, and their souls embodied themselves in their chakra; His became a dark indigo blue image of a man, hers became the goddess. They closed their eyes, Sasuke taking a breath before planting a gentle kiss on her lips.

An infuriated scream startled the two, they pulled back to see the angered goddess preparing herself to attack Sasuke's soul-infused chakra.

"_Izaaaaaanaaagiiiiiiii!"_ She screeched, Izanami instantly put two and two together; Izanagi's soul was inside of Sasuke, and she had to use all she could to suppress the Goddess.

"_NO. LET ME GET MY REVENGE! HAYAMIIII_" She was being sealed back in the kunoichi as Izanagi coward behind Sasuke.

"Oh! Koibito, what are you doing here?" Izanagi's voice was deeper than expected.

"_DON'T YOU CALL ME THAT, YOU DISLOYAL_—"

The human Izanami started screaming from sealing the demoness inside her body on her own. Blood ran down her nose, her body weak from the power she had to use. Sasuke jumped from the tub and to Izanami's side and ordered Izanagi back inside his body.

"Fuck, Nami! Are you okay?!" He was worried, rushing her body to her bed and changing quickly as the door to the entrance slammed open, and multiple footsteps ran to them.

"Leave her alone!" Shouted Neji, accompanied by Hinata.

"You don't understand." Sasuke warned, "She almost exhausted her chakra again."

Neji was taken aback, "Well how the fuck did that happen?! And what are _you_ doing here?" He spat, coming to the bedside as well.

"She invited me in after I came by from my mission." He said nonchalantly, his cold tone had returned. His normal pouty look had, too.

"It's true," Hinata said, "I heard arguing before I unlocked the door, so I used my Byakugan and saw Nami seal her own soul back inside her body."

"What?" Neji was dumbfounded, "How the fuck did her soul come out of her body?"

"It's a long story," Sasuke said through his teeth, "I'll explain once we get her to the hospital."

"No! We can't take her to the hospital, Lady Tsunade will kill her for taking less than a day to return!" Hinata panicked and began searching the house for food pills.

"Somebody's gotta do something then!" Sasuke stressed the issue.

"Doesn't Karin live in these apartments?" Neji asked.

"How do you know that?" Sasuke questioned, receiving an awkward look from Neji, who was struggling to make up a believable reason, in response. "Never mind, just go get her!" He ordered, then left to move his clothes to the dryer. When he returned to the room, so had Hinata returned with a couple food pills, and Kiba, as Neji left.

Sasuke groaned, "Great, now you're here."

"Hey, I can take my food pills back." Kiba shrugged, "But I'm not here for you, asshole, I'm here to help Izzy."

Izanami attempted to shift her body to her side and yelped in pain. Both Kiba and Sasuke ran to her side when she did, they glared at each other as they noticed what they both did.

"Hmmph." Kiba scoffed but helped Izanami roll on to her left side, facing him, and put a couple of food pills in her mouth. He gently held her face as he helped her chew them up.

Sasuke, crossing his arms, began to explain a made-up story of how he got upset when explaining how Genma tried to defend himself in court and their emotions became so extreme that their inner souls had manifested themselves using their chakra. Izanami was slowly starting to move her body when Neji returned with Karin. He had shut the radio off on the way in.

"Oh, Nami-chan! Why do you always do this?" She said worriedly, giving her wrist for Izanami to bite. She barely had enough strength to nibble, and slowly began to siphon her chakra.

Sasuke then explained who Izanami no-mikoto and her husband were, and how Nami had said that her soul had merged itself into hers when she was born, and how her mother sealed it away along with her powers.

"I assume that my chakra awoke Izanagi, her counterpart, when our emotions had gotten out of control. She did the same thing when she went to protect Karin two weeks ago. Her entire chakra system changed; Karin noticed it too." He explained further.

"Yeah," Karin agreed, "She was like a whole different person when she saved me. I didn't know you had her counterpart though, Sasuke-kun." A hint of jealous arose in her voice. "Anyhow, all of you gather in here is making me nervous. I'd appreciate if you left. Unless you live here." Karin said, smiling at Hinata.

"It's okay, I just returned for my night bag. Kurenai-sensei just sent word that our team is going on a mission, so Kiba go get ready. She's going to tell us the details when we arrive." Hinata's soft voice spoke. "I'm trusting you with my friend. If she ends up hurt, trust that I will come to end your life." Hinata warned, scaring not just Karin but Kiba and Neji as well. She was never the type to be assertive, but, considering how much love she had for Izanami, she couldn't risk losing her.

"Hai, you can count on me, Hinata-kun!" Karin assured the higher ranking kunoichi. Neji left a note for Izanami on her dresser, walking out with Kiba, and eventually, Hinata left as well.

"Are you sure you can heal this much chakra, Karin?" Sasuke asked, "She retains a lot more than you think."

"Yes, Sasuke-kun, I'm going to heal her completely. So don't fret, you'll have your sister-wife back soon." She stifled a laugh but stopped when Sasuke bore a deadly glare.

"K-Karin?" Izanami's weak voice snapped their attention back to her.

"Yeah, it's me."

"What happened?"

"You almost exhausted your chakra by sealing the Goddess back inside you," Sasuke started, "If I had known, I wouldn't have… You know."

"Oh. It's not your fault, Sasuke." Izanami sheepishly said. A flush spread across her cheeks as she remembered what happened. Her strength was coming back so she bit into Karin harder.

Karin gasped, it hurt but… She couldn't help but feel a little turned on. "S-Sasuke-kun, you look like you lost some chakra too. Come here." Karin innocently requested. He didn't know her intentions, but he couldn't deny the fact that his body felt like a sack of bricks. He crawled on the bed, seating himself on the opposite edge that he started at, and bit into Karin's shoulder as Izanami fed on her arm. A soft moan escaped her lips, she had never had more than one person siphoning chakra from her at the same time. Izanami fought the Goddess's attempts to come out and instead compromised with her.

_If you're not going to let me out, then you're gonna let me take control of the situation. _The goddess ordered.

Izanami felt hot as she complied; her skin began to crave touch. She hungrily left kisses up Karin's arm, and onto her shoulders. She licked up from the bottom of her neck to behind the Uzamaki's ear. Karin began to tremble, her body excited to have both of which she desired in one instance. Sasuke stopped biting Karin when he felt Izanami's head push his out of the way as she began to makeout with Karin. He smirked and began undressing Izanami. Her leggings came off slowly as he tugged on them, lowering himself to his knees all while watching her and Karin tongue kiss. He started kissing her thighs, flicking his tongue at the edge of her panties every now and then. Karin removed her own shorts, then her and Sasuke proceeded to lay Izanami on the bed, Karin crawling on top to continue her makeout session with the girl and Sasuke removing his own clothes before returning between the girl's legs. He ripped her panties off, literally, and began swirling his tongue feverishly around her soaked pussy. He reached a hand up and squeezed Karin's ass with it.

Karin squeaked, she loved being touched by Sasuke. She left Izanami's mouth to lift her own shirt off. Izanami's breasts were already exposed due to the crop top sliding up over them when they laid her down. A whimpering Izanami grabbed the redhead's thighs, pulling her panties to the side and lowering her down onto her face. Karin moaned, and Sasuke finished up his foreplay. He brought Izanami down to the edge of the bed so her legs hung, and he draped them over his arms before ramming into her. While Karin rode Izanami's face, Sasuke bit into her shoulder from behind. The group moaned; Izanami's pheromones intoxicated the air around them, which only aroused them more. Karin's moans, Izanami's muffled whimpers, and Sasuke's groans filled the silence of the room. He was thrusting into Izanami viciously, bringing Karin back into his body while he choked her from behind.

"Fuck!" Karin gasped as she came on Izanami's lips. She removed herself from the girl's face, and instead began to hold Izanami's arms down behind her head as Sasuke rammed into her. She began screaming:

"OH GOD YES," Her eyes had started rolling back, where Neji had length, Sasuke had girth. He could feel her already tender vagina trying to adjust to his dick as he fucked her.

"You're so tight, Nami." He was groaning, grasping her thighs so tight they began to bruise at his fingertips.

"Fuck, you're so big," She moaned in response.

Karin kissed and played with Izanami's breasts as she held her down. She would let her nibble her neck for more chakra as she did so, which in turn made her wet.

"Mmm.." Sasuke moaned, "Tell me how to make you cum, baby." He began thrusting differently, picking her hips up higher.

"Ohhhh! Fuck, just like that." She whined. He bit his lips in response. "Right there, oh god, yes!" She was gasping as he picked up speed. "Ughhh. More!" She barked at him. He switched positions, bringing her body on top of his as Karin kissed his neck. Izanami rode him so rough she thought her uterus would end up in her ribs. She slammed her hands against the wall, holding herself up with it as she swung her hips deeply on his dick. He was moaning and hissing in pleasure as he watched her take control.

"Fuck, Nami I'm getting close." He warned, and she glared at him.

"You're not cumming until I say you can cum." She spat, clenching her vagina around his dick tightly. He whimpered; He has never been Dominated like this. He was always the one making the demands, and never felt like he accomplished anything because women always did what he asked anyways. This switch up had him in bliss.

"Hai, Aijin." He moaned, she leaned forward and kissed him, her hand snaking beside her as she shoved two fingers into Karin. She relished in the fact that he called her his Mistress.

"Oh! M-Mistress, your fing-gers f-feel so goood." Karin cried out, grabbing on to Izanami's arm and holding her hand hostage as she rode her fingers at the same pace as Sasuke was being ridden. She knew that Izanami loved being in charge. They were panting, sweating, and moaning; Their climaxes synced, and Izanami was to blame. Sasuke had never known a lover to be so talented at both giving and receiving. He moaned in her mouth as she shoved her tongue in his mouth.

She bit into his lip, not enough to break the skin, but enough to get his attention. He was bucking his hips in response to her subconscious order. She wanted more; He could give her more. "Mistress, I'm- I can't—"

"No! Hold on just a little longer, Sasuke. Play with my clit." She ordered, moaning loudly and leaning back into Karin to pull her in for a kiss as she sped up her pumping fingers. Sasuke did as he was told, his thumb ferociously rubbed her clit, causing her to scream in pleasure as she rode him. Karin started gasping desperately, she was holding her climax back for Izanami's order, too.

"Oh god, fuck! Okay, you can cum now." Izanami moaned.

"In-Inside, Aijin?" Sasuke's lips trembled, his eyes pleaded for release.

"Yes, Sasuke, cum inside your aijin's tight pussy." She moaned, cumming as she did.

"Fuck." He growled, releasing into her cunt as Karin released all over her hand.

"Ohhhh god, Izanami!" Karin screamed as she squirted all over the sheets.

Izanami rode Sasuke's climax out, making sure he got the most out of her pussy before removing herself from the two. She scoffed at the mess her bed was in.

"You're gonna do my laundry, now." She teased Karin, who was laid out on the bed and shaking in ecstasy. Izanami could feel Sasuke's nut dripping out of her, and she sucked her teeth.

"Damn it, Sasuke, why do you have so much sperm." She frowned, grabbing her shower towel and wiping herself off.

"Genetics." He jokingly responded. He hadn't moved, like Karin. They were both frozen in place, their bodies recovering from one of the most powerful orgasms they'd ever experienced. He continued, "Maybe if you didn't milk me like that, you'd have less inside."

"Don't you talk back to me. Or next time I won't let you cum." She warned.

"Oh, there's a next time, huh?" He smirked, earning a glare from Izanami.

"Not anymore, there's not."

He sucked his teeth, his normal cold tone returned. "Well at least my hypothesis was correct." He mumbled.

"What hypothesis?" Karin asked, even though he wasn't addressing her.

"That Izanami wanted to fuck me as bad as I wanted to fuck her." He chuckled, before getting up and grabbing his clothes from the dryer. He changed, and Izanami had simply put on a pair of sweats, keeping her crop top on.

"I may have wanted to, but there won't be a next time. Izanami no-mikoto can never be released while you're around. Either you stay away from me, or we get rid of the fragments of Izanagi's soul from your chakra." Izanami stated with a sigh, stressing herself out as she removed the sheets from her bed. Karin dressed herself and helped Izanami move the bedding to the washing machine.

"How do you propose we get rid of the fragments in Sasuke-kun's chakra?" Karin asked as Izanami added detergent to the machine.

"Well, the way I see it there are two options. Ask Sasuke to let us free the souls that give him the powers of the Amaterasu, Susan'o, and Tsukuyomi, or Beg him for forgiveness at his grave when we kill him because he wouldn't let us take his powers." She said without emotion as she turned her mixtape back on. They migrated to the dining table as the music started:

_**(I still see your shadows in my room**_

_**Can't take back the love that I gave you**_

_**It's to the point where I love and I hate you…)**_

"Wait, are you being serious?" Sasuke asked, offended.

"As serious as the Uchiha's hate for the Senju."

_**(You found another one, but I am the better one**_

_**I won't let you forget me)**_

"How do you know that will stop the Goddess from attacking Izanagi?" Karin asked, "Or stop Izanagi from returning to this earth in revenge?"

"I don't. But, Sasuke," She turned to beg him, "If you really meant to do what you did earlier, you cannot get my emotions twisted. Either you make this a thing, or you don't but just know I can't seal her every time you try something romantic." Her tone was more pleading than serious, she begged for affirmation, something solid standing. She knew that once word got out of her and Neji that her chances with Sasuke would disappear, as well as vice versa.

_**(You left me falling and standing inside my grave**_

_**I know that you want me dead…)**_

"I can't tell you I won't try anything, because I feel very strong… connections. With you." He admitted. His brows furrowed in frustration in light of this new information.

"What if they're only there because of the souls you have leeching off both of your chakras?" Karin asked. The two looked at each other, they had wondered the exact same thing. Izanami pondered for a moment, pouring the group some glasses of water as the music filled the silence.

_**(I'll do it over again**_

_**I didn't want it to end**_

_**I watch it blow in the wind**_

_**I should've listened to my friends…)**_

"I think we should talk to the Hokage about it. She knows of my powers, but she might have insight of where it might have originated from. Or you can accompany me as I go to the Mist." Izanami said, she felt like the Hokage might have the answers they needed. Karin was chugging her water and Sasuke had taken a sip when:

"What are you going to the Mist for?" A voice said from the front doorway, "Sorry for intruding, again, I went to Ichiraku Ramen with Naruto and Neji, but I brought Izanami some back, in case she was hungry after sealing the demon away."

"Kiba! How long have you been standing there? What happened to your mission?" Izanami asked, startled by his presence.

"Oh! Yeah, apparently it was just a meet up for Kurenai-sensei's birthday. Also, I literally just came up the stairs not two seconds ago." He said, Izanami looked over to Karin. The sensory ninja nodded slightly to show he was telling the truth.

_**(I cannot change you so I must replace you**_

_**Easier said than done**_

_**I thought you were the one**_

_**Listening to my heart instead of my head…)**_

The song had drowned out in the background as they spoke. Izanami knew he had been truthful, so she played along. "Oh, how sweet of you!" She giggled, waving him over to the group. "Thank you, I really appreciate it." She said, immediately tearing into the package when he handed it over as the next song started

_**(My boy's being sus'**_

_**He was shady enough**_

_**But now he's just a shadow)**_

"Yeah, of course! But you didn't answer my question." He sat in the chair beside her.

_**(My boy loves his friends like I love my split ends.**_

_**And by that I mean…)**_

"Oh!" She said, mouth full of noodles, she swallowed then said, "I'm meeting with the Mitzukage. She's my Aunt, apparently." She said. _**(He cuts them off. (What?!)**_

Karin choked on her water, spitting a bit out in shock, before Sasuke and Kiba said: "Your _aunt_?" at the same time. The music was no longer being acknowledged.

"Mhm… Is there an issue?" She genuinely wondered.

"Don't you know the history of the Hidden Mist?" Karin asked once she caught her breath.

"Mm, no." Izanami replied, honestly she was just infatuated with her noodles so she didn't mind hearing the story so she could eat.

After an hour or so, Sasuke left and Karin had started getting tired of explaining why the Mist was terrible. She, too, left the apartment. Leaving Kiba and Izanami alone in the apartment. Not for long, though, as Hinata returned home in a fluster.

"I need a drink." Her defeated voice made the pair raise an eyebrow to each other. They followed her into the kitchen, carefully divulging into her story as she poured herself and them a shot. They side-eyed each other again, it was a weekday.

"Hinata-san, you shouldn't be drinking during the week. It's not even dark outs-" Kiba stopped as she threw her shot back.

"What happened?" Izanami was worried, her mind began to wander to the worst situations.

"I got my period…" Hinata said softly. Kiba knew that much, he could smell the blood and her hormones when she stormed in. She didn't exude the same intoxicating chemicals Izanami did during her menses, though, so he didn't react much to her scent.

"Okay, and? I've been getting mine for years, congrats." Izanami joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Hinata handed the pair their shots and poured herself another.

"I got it while wearing a white skirt at Ichiraku, and _Naruto_ was the one who pointed it out." She held back tears, throwing back her second shot.

"Oh my god, that's nothing to be so worked up over Hinata-chan! Naruto is _seventeen_. I'm sure he knows what a period is." Izanami took her shot in annoyance.

"It's not just that! He gave me some pants to wear but.. When I went to thank him, I accidentally kissed his lips instead of his cheek and he almost immediately wiped it off!" She began to drink straight from the bottle. Izanami looked over at Kiba, who took his shot and was about to sneak out. She glared at him.

_**Oh, hell no, he is not leaving me alone to deal with this by myself.**_

_You should burn Naruto._

_**WHY IS YOUR ONLY SOLUTION TO DROWN PEOPLE IN LAVA?**_

…_.it's never __not__ worked._

The goddess had a point, but her offer was not the solution to this problem.

"Hinata-chan. He probably didn't mean to; it's just a reaction people have! What if you took his first kiss without meaning to?" Izanami tried to make her feel better.

Kiba snorted, "Naruto has _definitely_ kissed other women before." He immediately regretted his words as the kunoichi both stared him down. "I-I meaaaannn… He probably just wasn't expecting it! I'd be shocked if Izanami-san kissed me." He said, glancing over at Izanami briefly before catching himself slipping, "I mean! Not that I wouldn't like it! She- I mean, we're just friends, I mean, I wouldn't be opposed to—" He sighed, "Imma just leave. There's too many toes to be stepped on." Izanami laughed, Hinata too.

"Kiba-chan, you're a mess." Hinata laughed heartily.

"Hey, at least I got you to laugh." He smiled shyly, a small blush on his face.

"Yeah, Hina-kun! You see, there isn't much to worry about." Izanami shook her friend's shoulder in play.

"I guess, maybe he was just shocked. I did run out almost immediately, though; I didn't want to see his remaining reaction." She shrugged, wiping the remaining liquor off her lips. Her face was rosy from the alcohol, she had always been a light weight.

"I can always ask about it," Kiba started. The two girls widened their eyes at him in horror, "Orrrrr not." He said, really embarrassed over the offer. "Okay, that's the last straw. I'm out." He said, earning giggles from the girls before walking off. Izanami trailed him, walking him out the door.

"Don't think I forgot about our… encounter, earlier." He wiggled a finger at Izanami as he walked backwards to his apartment.

"What encounter?" She said not-so-innocently, batting her lashes at him before turning away.

_Who's the bad one, now?_ The goddess said.

_**Shut up, you, I'm not on good terms with you right now.**_

* * *

A/N: Hiiiii, it's ya girl. Yeah, I hope the two naughty scenes were up to par! I struggled writing the threesome o.o but I think it turned out okay! I mean it was such a contrast to Neji's love-making that I felt a little awkward. How do y'all like reading Sub Sasuke? Isn't it ironic considering he's so assertive when he's not being intimate? I kinda dig it. Still struggling with the main pairing though. Songs mentioned, in order, Tia Tamera by Doja Cat, Get You by Daniel Ceasar ft Kali Uchis, Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD, My Boy by Billie Eilish. I have a playlist on spotify, it's public, and it's titled "And So It Is." So, if you'd like to get a peak into my writing process, that playlist has all of the songs I listen to when I'm in DA ZONE. I'll add more to it as I go, but yea. Lmk what u think in a review thank uuuu


	7. Chapter 7: Choices (smut)

The next couple days had dragged on; Izanami wasn't allowed to train, well, at least not out on the field. She spent many hours in her room doing push-ups, yoga, and would take runs around the village to keep her stamina up. She avoided Neji at all costs, however. She did not want to cross that bridge until Tenten and her talked. It was Friday, and Tenten was returning from her mission. She sent her regards via the intel unit at the Leaf. Izanami started her afternoon chakra training, in secret, off in the forest. She had to make sure there was a clone doing random things in the town behind her to avoid having Tsunade be suspicious about her chakra missing from inside the Leaf's barrier.

She was focused on her body, now. She was building up chakra in her palms, in a half-squat position and her arms stretched out in front of her as she concentrated. The sheer focus on her face and the power she was forcing herself to gather made her forehead sweat. She could see the palms of her hands start to glow their familiar yellow flames. As she stretched out, she imagined her body was made of lava; She closed her eyes and let her chakra do all the work as she attempted to stretch her arms to the tree that stood ten feet in front of her.

_**I can do this**_, she thought to herself.

_Let me help yo-_

_**NO. We're still on bad terms, you fucking parasite.**_ She was angry, and it wavered her focus.

_I said I was sorry!_

_**That doesn't cut it! How can you expect me to trust you after what you pulled!?**_

Suddenly her throat felt like razor blades, once again, and she threw up lava.

She glared at the Demoness in front of her as she wiped the remaining lava off her face with her arm.

"What do you want?" She spat, quite literally, at the manifestation of the demon inside her.

"I wanted to face you when I tell you, I honestly regret losing my temper like that. I had full intentions of giving up on my revenge before I had discovered that _rat _had inhabited your Sasuke." The woman made of lava apologized, shame in her voice as she bowed to her host.

Izanami crossed her arms, still not letting the woman's words persuade her. "He's not _my _anything, let's get that straight first. What's with you and having me possess these guys? Even if, and that's _if,_ I wanted to be in a relationship I don't see a partner being my possession. There is a reason why it's called a _partnership_; Both parties have to put in effort, and they both have to be their own people." She shook her head at the goddess as she bent over to the side slightly and placed her hand on the ground as she lowered herself to the ground and grabbed her canteen. She took several chugs as the goddess sat in front of her.

"I understand that things have changed since my arrival to your dismal world," She started, sitting herself on her knees, feet tucked under her butt. "I apologize if I offended you, but there is nothing wrong with being a _little_ possessive. Especially if it's when one is participating in sexual acts. Like—" "I know! But stop calling people I hook up with mine. I don't appreciate it." She huffed, blowing her bangs out of her face.

"Is it because you haven't decided on who you would like to court?"

"Not just that, but if I even want to date anyone anyways! I'm 17, why should I settle down? Why can't I try out a few different things before I decide to commit to someone?" She tossed her canteen in her bag and placed it up against a tree as she stood up, offering the lava woman a hand up. She took it, second guessing herself as she graciously pulled herself up.

"I see," She responded, "I hope that you do, indeed, test out your promiscuity. It's what we are known for, anyhow." She said as she brushed off her kimono and tossed her hair behind her back.

"Also, I need more intel on how your revenge is going to be handled. Are we releasing your kids, or what? It seems like I can't have my promiscuity tested if you're stuck in my body. So, either you leave and possess someone else, or you tell me how to free those souls without killing the person who carries them." She was ordering the goddess around, now. It made her furious, her lava bubbling as she responded.

"Excuse me? Don't you speak to me in that tone, young woman!" She went to slap Izanami, but she grabbed her by the wrist. She growled, glaring into her soul, wishing to be freed of this cage. "I hope you don't expect me to share my chakra now that you've angered me."

"I don't expect anything from you." Izanami snapped, throwing the goddess' hand down. "I don't need you! In fact, it's quite the opposite," She said,, raising a kunai to her own throat. The demoness gasped, lunging forward to stop her. Izanami jumped back into a tree's branches, blade still at her jugular. "You see? I knew that you would react like that. Now, spill or I will do it." An evil cackle filled the forest, birds flew away as fast as the sound hit them in fear. The lava started popping, showing Izanami how she infuriated the woman more.

"You're smart, this I always knew. But if you die, I will just reincarnate to another. I only made a fuss because over the years I spent in your body, unable to protect you, unable to fight for you, I have built a motherly bond with you." The sizzling stopped, the goddess crossed her arms in a comforting way, continuing as she did. "In short, I care about you."

Izanami's brows furrowed in confusion; she couldn't tell if she was lying. "So why the fuss? Why can't you tell me how to stop Izanagi?"

The goddess lowered her head in defeat, "Because you can't." She sighed. "The only way that Sasuke would be able to rid himself of Izanagi's soul is for him to give up the amount of visual prowess he has. We both know that won't go over well."

"So I'm fucked, is what you're saying?" Izanami groaned, smacking her forehead in frustration.

"I believe so. Unless you're willing to find the person who sealed me inside you and gather more information about how they did it."

"I know what the seal is, that's how I was able to lock you back up." Izanami huffed, kicking the grass beneath her as she tried to come up with something, anything.

"Well? How do you release me?"

The kunoichi chewed her lip, doing her mini calf-raises as she stepped around in circles. Nothing was coming to mind, but she had to respond. "I can't. The seal can only be released if the soul is no longer bound to the earth. And your anger with Izanagi still lurks within your heart, even if you don't want to seek revenge."

"Then its settled." The lava woman decidedly stated as she melted back into a pool of lava.

"What's settled? Hey! What are you doing? What's settl-" She was cut off by her own gagging as the lava returned back into her mouth.

_**Oh god! You can't find an easier way to do this!? She thought.**_

_It's fun._

_**Not for me! What's settled anyhow?**_

_I'm going to make a new goal to replace my revenge. I will avenge my death by helping to mold you into the most powerful shinobi this world has ever laid eyes on. Just unlock the seal as much as you can and give me a few weeks._

Izanami scoffed, crossing her arms as she debated just completely sealing the woman up. She sucked her teeth before focusing her chakra in her hand and grasping her stomach and twisting, unlocking the seal as far as she could: about 75% of the way. Her throat gurgled as blood spewed out of her mouth, but she hardly felt any pain. Her chakra was being replenished with the demon's as quickly as it was being spent. Her body rippled in waves, as a gut-wrenching shriek escape her body. The ground below her cracked, the trees shook as a powerful wind swirled around her body, she was being lifted up off the ground as the shriek intensified. Her body started dripping lava, blood, and sweat onto the ground. The sound caught the attention of some nearby deer, they watched her in shock as she transformed. Her body coated itself in a protective layer of lava, taking form of what she already looked like but with far more resilience. Her skin was as thick as leather, but both that and her hair felt silky from burning off and regrowing in an instant. Her voice shattered the glass bottles she had set up for target practice and she was seizing as the new power rearranged her DNA. Before she read the letter from her dad, she had only unlocked 25% of her powers, but she had little regret from opening the seal more as she dropped to the ground. She plopped on to one knee, hunched over and out of breath. She realized she had squeezed her eyes shut but could still sense and feel everything so much more now that she didn't need her eyes to learn that the deer were passing messages about her to their masters. Her head whipped over her right shoulder as she heard branches being ran through by shinobi. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and stood up slowly as they approached.

"Who are you? What are you doing in the Nara forest?" A low rumbling voice shouted, and Izanami slowly stood, raising her arms up to show she was friendly.

"It's alright, Shikamaru, I don't mean any harm." Her naturally seductive voice caught the higher-ranking man off guard.

"Wh-What? Who are you? And how do you know my name?" He asked, still armed. The girl turned around and bowed slowly, her cleavage prominent from her off-the-shoulder top.

"Senpai, my name is Izanami Akiyama. I'm a kunoichi from the Leaf." She said, smirking as she did. "I just came into your forest to train, Tsunade-sama forbid me from training on the regular grounds due to my recent chakra exhaustion." She said, not moving from her bowing position. Her piercing eyes looked up at him, however, she could detect the small blush the man had when she caught him staring at her chest.

"O-Oh. Well, what's with the screaming? We have reports of a young woman being attacked in this area." His face returned to its usual sternness, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Oh, that was me. See, I was getting frustrated at myself. I had to learn this new trick, you see. It's very complicated, but I got it done." She said, nonchalantly, getting up from her bowed position and stretching her arms upward over her head, as if she were just waking up. Her midriff bore itself to Shikaku, her tanned bare skin shined in reflection from the rays of light peering through the trees. A sparkle caught his eye, her bellybutton piercing, and his perverted mind scanned lower, she wore tight athletic shorts, and the straps of her thong peeked over her hips. Subconsciously, he licked his lips; she was inviting. But his duties were priority, thus snapping him back into reality. She sighed as he came back to her eyes.

"So, what, you expect me to believe that? You troublesome kunoichi, always expecting men to fall for your tricks." He was frustrated from her withholding information.

"I supposed if I told you the truth, it would be less believable." She shrugged, then turned to grab her things from the base of a tree, bending over instead of crouching down.

"Hmmph. What a drag. Save me the theatrics, just give me the facts. What happened? The ground doesn't break apart from just any chakra strength training." He was correct, Izanami hadn't noticed the ground had cracked in ripples surrounding the area she had been practicing in. She smiled, however, and tossed her hair out of her face as she pulled her bag over her shoulder. Their eyes locked again, and she began to explain her story.

Back in the village, Neji, Kiba, and Naruto were gathering new gear at the shinobi blacksmith shop near the Jonin apartments. They stocked up on the usual: Kunai knives, Shuriken, smoke bombs, paper bombs, etc. The new kunoichi wares, however, caught Kiba's eye. The girl's side had been renovated with sexier clothes, that were all plain looking at first. But when the dog boy examined closer, there were multiple compartments around where the girl's most intimate parts were that could hold secret kunai or other things. He huffed, a little salty about the girls getting cooler clothes to hide things. He returned his focus to the steel-toed boots in his hand, they were unisex, but they were mainly for shinobi with a fire chakra affinity. The steel on the outside would help the wearer kick sparks toward their enemy, to which they can ignite with their fire style attacks. He pouted, he liked their style, but would have no use to them being an earth style user. But he knew someone who would like them, and looked over to his friend as he spoke:

"Hey, Neji, what do you think of these?" He asked over the rack of clothes, raising the pair of boots high enough for him to see.

"I already have boots, Kiba-kun." He chuckled in response, unsure of why he even offered.

"Yeah, but these one's are cool. They help create sparks to help with fire style." He shrugged, putting the pair back down on the table. He continued to the clothes in front of him.

"I don't use fire style as much as my earth, but I think we both know someone who doesn't ever buy new things for themselves and could find these useful.." His voice sang as he raised his eyebrows in suggestion to Kiba to figure it out.

"Ah, yeah she definitely needs some new gear. I think she owns like, two pairs of those pants over there, but she is constantly sewing them back together after missions." He laughed, remembering the day he caught the girl on her porch, yelling profanities as she repeatedly pricked her fingers.

Naruto caught up to them, "Hey guys! I already bought my stuff, what're you guys talking about?" His grin was wide as he approached his friends.

"Izanami-kun and how little of a wardrobe she has for missions." Neji answered, looking over to the woman's section alongside Kiba.

"Oh! I forgot you two had been on missions with her before. Well, do you guys know her size? It'd be cool if we all got her stuff for her promotion party, ya know!" Naruto pulled his friends in as he wrapped his arms around them.

"Bahh, I don't know her size. All I know is she's… healthy…?" Kiba trailed off, shoving his hands in his pockets as he attempted to avoid Naruto and Neji calling him a perv.

"Heck yeah, she is! Man, I dunno how many times I've had to step down from starting a conversation with her. Ooh-wee! She is so—" Naruto's nosebleed as he drooled over Izanami, a common image of her at the hot springs popped up in the trio's head, Kiba drooled with Naruto. They were always on the same page when it came down to girls. Neji, blinked the image away. He didn't like hearing about other people being attracted to her, so he cleared his throat to speak.

"I know her size." He mumbled, making his way to the woman's section. Kiba and Naruto's jaws dropped as he led them.

"Huuuuuh?! How do you know what size she is, Neji-san!?" The blonde boy persisted, quickly looking between Kiba and Neji as if he was missing out on something.

"Well, he has been on like dozens of missions with her." Kiba said, hoping that was the only reason that could be used.

"Yeah, that!" Neji smirked as he looked through the clothes, sliding each hanger passed, "Now, what do we know about her style? What if we get her stuff she will never wear?"

Naruto stopped his antics to pause and think, a hand on his chin as he tried to imagine what the kunoichi would wear. "I dunno, I haven't seen her face yet, though! She likes her privacy, so maybe grab a few masks, ya know! Like the ones Kaka-sensei wears!"

Kiba nodded, heading to the table that had held masks, and undergarments, and tried to avoid looking through the sexy panties laid out beside them. He picked out a few masks: A cyan blue one to match her hair, a black one that had spikes poking out from it, and one with a cartoon design of a mouth sticking its tongue out. He chuckled as he imagined her wearing it out as a civilian. His eyes trailed to the bras and he blushed, imagining her voluptuous breasts in the very alluring patterned one in front of him. He shook his head to remove the image before returning to his friends.

"I got a couple of masks, now what else?' He said, grabbing a second basket for the items the trio would buy for their friend. Neji tossed a few tops in it, as well as some thigh-high socks and belt-like garters that had loops to hold knives or small bottles of poison cures.

"Where are those boots you showed me?" Neji asked, looking around for them.

"Oh! I put them down back here, let me go grab them." Kiba said, running to the table. He threw the boots in and looked up at the backs of his friends as they looked through pants for Izanami. Slickly, he grabbed a few pairs of panties and put them under the clothes in his own basket. He would add them to his own personal present for her.

"Ooo, look at me!" Naruto said as he posed in a sexy bra. He puckered his lips out and fluttered his eyelashes at his friends. "I'm Izanami Akiyama, look at me!" The guys laughed, shaking their heads at the knucklehead.

"Take that off, baka." Neji said, smacking the back of the boy's head. "Before someone sees yo—"

"Naruto-senpai?" A small voice interrupted him. They looked over in the direction it came from and simultaneously flushed as they laid their eyes on a blushing Hinata. "And Kiba, and Neji-san? What are you doing over here in the ladies' section?"

They all stumbled on their words as they tried to defend themselves, failing to explain they weren't being pervy.

She giggled, watching them fall apart in embarrassment. "So you're shopping for Nami-chan? How sweet, let me help you! I know her exact measurements from helping her hem her clothes." She approached the rack that Naruto had been sifting through, ignoring the fact that he was wearing a bra. He quickly tried to remove it, but didn't understand the clasp was in the front.

"Gaah! Where's the clasp on this thing!? Hnnnng." His stress only embarrassed him further. Hinata giggled again, turning to assist him. "You're the best, ya know, Hinata? I can't believe I didn't know these things could be so complicated!"

Naruto flushed as she removed the garment from him. "This is too small for Nami-chan anyhow." She said nonchalantly, placing the bra back on the rack. Kiba, Neji, and Naruto flushed, looking over at each other as they realized what she had said.

"Oh! W-We weren't going to get her panti- uh- I mean, undergarments!" Kiba said, cursing his stuttering tongue. Hinata eyed him in confusion.

"Why not? You think she's just going to need outerwear? You were there when she moved, right? She only had two boxes of things!" She claimed, grabbing a handful of underwear, gloves, and bras and tossing them in the secondary basket Kiba was holding. "It's a great gesture for you all to decide to help out. I'm sure she would appreciate anything you got her."

Neji nodded, taking his leave to check out but handing Hinata 270 Ryō (2700 yen or twenty-five dollars) before doing so. Naruto did the same before he followed him out, begging to get ramen when Kiba and Hinata finished up.

"I saw you, by the way." Hinata whispered, she knew her teammate too well. The years they spent together made it impossible for her to not build a close enough friendship to know when he had a crush on someone. "Just throw them in the basket and I'll say I bought them."

He flushed again, "Geez, Hinata-san, you're sneakier than I am." He huffed, quickly tossing the sexy panties into the basket. She smiled at him before continuing her quest. "Why is women's clothes so expensive? I think for me I spend about 350 Ryō when I come shopping, but Naruto-kun and Neji just each handed you 270! I know the boots are expensive, but shouldn't her tops and undergarments be less than that?" The pair continued along the women's side, Kiba holding the basket out to Hinata, and Hinata placing pants and shorts in it.

"If you think about it, women and men's sizing is very different. And women tend to be much more detailed when it comes down to style and fit, especially Kunoichi." They made their way to the front exit, stopping at the register.

Hinata continued, "There are still far less kunoichi in our shinobi world than there are males. So the designers take advantage of it, by marking their prices up, and calling it Kunoichi Fashion." She said, finishing up their purchase at the desk. "Thank you." She said to the cashier, as she received her change. The cashier bowed in response as he folded the women's clothes in a separate bag as Kiba laid his basket upon the desk.

"That's messed up! If it was me, I would be buying men's clothes either way." He huffed, crossing his arms as the cashier totaled his purchase. She shrugged as she exited, she had forgotten why she entered the shop in the first place as she walked up to the two boys waiting out front.

"Hinata! You wanna come eat ramen with us? I'll pay for you, ya know!" Naruto smiled widely at the shy girl, making her blush a little.

"I'd love to Naruto-kun." She was excited that he hadn't been awkward about their previous encounter.

"Hey guys!" A familiar voice shouted from down the road, they all looked over to it as Kiba exited the shop.

"Speak of the devil, and she shall appear." Neji mumbled to the group, earning a laugh from the group. She ran to them, giving each of them a friendly hug hello. Kiba held onto her a little longer, inhaling her scent as usual. He crinkled his nose when he smelled Shikamaru's scent on her.

"Where were you just now?" He asked, a little irritated but he tried to play it off as curiosity.

"Oh! Um, I had to practice in the Nara forest because Tsunade-sama would freak if my chakra had been down on the training grounds." She blew her lips out as she made a small raspberry from exhaling and pouting at the same time. "I ran into Shikamaru-senpai, by the way! He thought I was an enemy, but I talked him out of it!" She stood proudly, hands on her hips and chest out.

"We were heading out to Ichiraku's, Nami-chan! Wanna join us?" Naruto offered, blushing slightly.

Izanami's tummy grumbled in response, "I can definitely use some food, but I don't have any money on me right now! I can run back to my apartment and grab some then meet you all there?" She said, thumb pointed back behind her in no direction in particular.

"I'll pay for you." Neji and Kiba offered at the same time, throwing each other a glance afterwards. Neji huffed, looking back at Izanami with serious eyes. She sweatdropped in reaction to the boys being so generous.

"Oh! Um, well, Neji you paid last time we went together! I wouldn't want to burden you by having you pay again." She chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck as she spoke.

"Yeah, Neji, save your money, I can pay for the lady." Kiba winked at him. Neji shrugged and started walking to the restaurant. The group followed him, entering the pop-up shop and seating themselves at the front bar. Neji sat on the far left, followed by Hinata, Naruto, Izanami, and then Kiba. They placed their orders, speaking amongst each other about different things. Just then, Tenten entered the shop and called out to the group.

"Hey, you rambunctious teens, who said you can enjoy a meal without me!" She fake pouted as they turned their attention to her.

"Tenten, you're back!" Hinata exclaimed.

"Come sit with us!" Izanami offered, telling Kiba to scoot one chair over.

"Awh, he doesn't have to move! I'll just sit at the empty chair by Neji!" She said, too excitedly, as she made her way to the bar as well.

_**Hmmph. So she may have feelings for him still. She thought, defeat came over her mind as she ate her ramen.**_

_You don't know that; You still have to talk to her. And if she does, then you have to talk to Neji-san before she finds out._

Izanami turned her attention to the leg wrapped under hers; Kiba had scooted his chair so close to hers that she could feel him rub his leg against hers, playing footsie. She smirked as she ate, adjusting her weight to lean against him. Her new senses could hear his heartbeat race as she did, and she blew air out her nose briefly as she made a small chuckle. He smirked, too, bumping his head against hers, as wolves do, to show affection. She sent a wave of her chakra to his body in response, showing him his actions weren't ignored. The group engaged in sloppy eating, poor manners (besides the Hyuuga cousins) and terrible conversations together. They brought up that Izanami hadn't thrown her no-sensei, exclusive party yet and planned it for the next night. Izanami said she was too tired for tonight, but that she would try to be energized enough for it. They took their time to finish up, about an hour and a half, and all paid after piling their dishes together in neat piles to make it easier on the staff. They all bowed and thanked the waitress as she approached them, tipping her generously as they left. The two Jonin split off to their apartments, and the girls left to theirs with Kiba trailing alongside them.

"How was your mission, Tenten?" Izanami asked, casually leading the conversation. She would eventually work up the confidence to address Neji.

"Oh, it was super fun!" Tenten exclaimed, "Guy Sensei paid for a hotel up in the Cloud village, and Sakura-kun and I decided to go to the bathhouse together. It was a nice change, seeing Sakura relax for once!"

"Oh? I haven't been on a mission with Sakura-kun yet. But she was very friendly at the dinner party we had. She also reminds me of my mom, she smacked me upside the head in the hospital when I told her the staff had left trash in my room." She shuttered at the memory.

Kiba laughed, "Yeah that's Sakura-san for you." He said throwing a small wave goodbye to the girls. "See ya tomorrow!"

"Bye Kiba!" The trio said to him as he walked off. They entered their apartment, huffing in relief as they kicked their shoes off. Izanami had to yank hers off, since she was wearing thigh-high shinobi sandals.

"The sunset looks so pretty from the porch, look Izanami!" Tenten exclaimed, sighing after she tossed her bag into her doorway. "Let's have a glass of wine and sit out there."

Izanami smiled as she nodded, hoping to speak to her about Neji.

"I'll have to pass on that, I don't want to rehash what happened the other night. Plus, I need a bath; My cramps are killing me." She pouted before entering her room. She peeked her head back to comment one more thing:

"Let me know if you guys are gonna watch a movie after."

"Okay!" The pair replied, going into their rooms and getting some comfy clothes on. Tenten had decided on a navy blue camisole, and loose black pajama pants with small pandas on them. She let her hair out of the buns that they were in and brushed out any knots. Izanami had done the same to her hair, but set it into two French braids, and washed her face before changing into loose lilac-colored pajama pants, and a white spaghetti-strapped satin top. The same one she had worn a few days prior when she slept over at Neji's. The girls grabbed their comfy blankets and met on the porch, Tenten had brought the chilled wine out from the fridge along with two champagne glasses to moderate how much they were taking in. The berry flavored sparkling wine was always Izanami's favorite, so Tenten made sure to request it from her most recent partner.

"Oooo, berry flavored wine?" Izanami teased as she saw her the bottle in her friend's hand. "You shouldn't have." They giggled together, seating themselves on the patio chairs that Hinata had picked out for the apartment. From the Chunin apartments, you could see the Leaf village square: Its bright, busy streets twinkling in the near distance. The wind carried the strong smells of the shops and bakeries, as well as the sound of drunken laughter and civilian children running through the alleyways. Izanami sighed in preparation for the topic she was going to bring up, letting her nerves go as the girl beside her handed a glass over. Music from Izanami's speakers played at a low volume in the room behind the mesh sliding door.

_**-Hurts me the most when I wake  
I fumble and twist, 'til the truth starts to click  
There's so much space in this bed  
These sheets go for miles: dreams of your smile…**_

"What's on your mind, Twin Peaks?" Tenten asked, taking a big swig from the glass she held in her hand. The song she started off with had sad undertones, and it made Izanami worry more.

"I don't mean to be rude, Tenten, but I've noticed that you only really drink when we hang around Neji-senpai..." She started, making Tenten's eyes widen in fear. The kunoichi stared at each other for a moment before Tenten took another swig, and Izanami did the same. "I mean, if you're uncomfortable talking about it, I understand. I just am a little worried about you. Do you still have feelings for Neji-senpai even after you stopped attempting to date him?"

_**-I'll love you like I've never, ever loved somebody  
I'll give you things you didn't even know you wanted  
Don't tell me that it's not enough  
My time is up, you're over us  
'Cause I think I might do anything for you  
If you just let me…**_

"If I'm honest, I really do find him attractive. But I know he doesn't feel the same, so I don't try anything anymore. I'm sure he has plenty of other options; I've noticed he stares at you quite often so, if that's the reason you ask, just know that I wouldn't care if you guys date—"

"It's not like that at all, Tenten. I wouldn't date anyone you have feelings for. I admit that Neji and I have a strong connection; He has completely changed since I first met him, and I feel like he might be an option for me. But I have no intentions of settling down with anyone. You know how it is." She said, taking another sip of her wine before continuing, "But if you were to pursue him further, I would cut that portion of my bond with him off. Sisters before misters." She raised her glass to Tenten, who smiled softly and clinked hers against Izanami's glass.

"Sisters before misters, always. I have yet to decide what to do about him. I mean, Lee has shown a good amount of interest in me, and I mean there's always Shino or Shikamaru. I dunno about this whole relationship thing, either." Tenten giggled, "I've always had a thing for older men anyways." She winked.

"Twin Buns, you dirty girl!" Izanami teased, pushing Tenten's shoulder over slightly. They laughed, looking back over the village. "This place has really been a rollercoaster for me." Izanami stated.

"Hm." Tenten said, slightly nodding in affirmation. She knew how hard it was for Izanami to grow up in the Leaf. She didn't have the same experience and, since she joined the Academy, she has always received nothing but support from both her family and friends. Izanami only truly had a single friend when she was a civilian. A girl named Yuna Kobayashi, but Izanami has only spoke of her a few times on account of Hinata disliking the stories that she was included in. It often crossed her mind if Izanami still cared for the girl, and wondered if she would consider her a friend still.

"Hey, Nami-chan, do you ever talk to that girl? The one you were friends with, the civilian?" She asked, her cheeks beginning to become rosy from the wine. Izanami was pouring herself a second glass as she posed the question. She chuckled as she handed the bottle over to Tenten.

"Yuna? I see her every once in a while, working her dad's smoke shop. I stop in to say hello and her father has requested me to help him out with a few shipments." She said, taking a sip from her refilled glass. "I think I last spoke to her right before I had been promoted to Chunin. Wow, I've been a Chunin for about three weeks now? It feels like so long ago."

"Oh! I didn't know you had been talking to her recently, do you guys still… You know." Tenten trailed off.

"Smoke? Yeah, that's basically what most of our days together consist of." Izanami giggled, "Why, did you want to try some?"

Tenten blushed, she had never tried weed before, but she has only ever heard good things about it from Izanami's stories. If it's anything like alcohol, Tenten was sure to enjoy it. She liked the uplifting feeling that alcohol gave her, but she hated the hangover.

"Do you have some!? What if Hinata smells it!" She whisper-shouted. Izanami's smile grew into a smirk, it wasn't like Tenten to want to participate in illegal substances. Alcohol was one thing, something she would easily be able to hide. But smoking weed, specifically the kind Izanami carried, mellowed people out. It even gave some people a bad case of the munchies, and in rare cases, acted as an aphrodisiac. She left to her room, quickly, and returning to the porch with a small leather pouch. She closed the sliding door, as well as the mesh door, so that the wind wouldn't blow the smoke in. The song also changed due to Izanami bringing her speaker closer to the door.

_**-I've been outta sight  
I've been worried 'bout you lately  
Runnin' outta time  
Wishin' you would come and save me**_

"I have a handful of joints that Yuna rolled for me the last time we met. I was going to save them for a special occasion, and this is certainly special enough!" She snickered, opening the pouch and pulling out two joints. _**(Cause I don't wanna roll with it, yeah yeah. Tryna get control of it, yeah yeah)**_

"Since this is your first time, I suggest you stop drinking so that you can get the real feel of the marijuana." Tenten nodded, pushing her glass to the side and slowly taking the cigarette-sized joint from Izanami. _**(Why can't I let go of it? Yeah yeah, gotta find somebody quickly.)**_

"So what do I do?" She flushed.

"You smoke it like a cigarette." A deep voice in the distance said. The kunoichi flinched, looking over to the very far left porch, where Kiba was standing up on the ledge. The girls looked at each other with embarrassment.

"HEY, YOU ASSHOLE, WERE YOU EAVESDROPPING THE ENTIRE TIME?!" Izanami shouted, leaning over the edge and waving a fist at him. Kiba jumped from ledge to ledge, making his way to the pair.

"No, I was actually just coming out to my porch to smoke a spliffy myself." He winked at Izanami as the words left his mouth. She smiled up at him as he jumped down.

"Well, well, I knew I liked you for a reason." She winked at him as he flushed in response to her saying she liked him. Tenten giggled.

"Izanami, don't tease the poor kid like that. He'll have a heart attack." She said, pushing Izanami the way she was pushed earlier.

"Hey! If you guys wanna make fun of me the rest of the night, I'll just go home. Besides, there is only two chai—" His sentence was cut short as Izanami grabbed his hand and pulled him into the chair she was on, seating herself across his lap. She could feel his heartbeat increase in excitement. Her heightened sense of smell caught wind of his cologne, it reminded her of bonfires alongside the beach. She smirked as he attempted to spark his lighter to the joint in his mouth, but it was out of gas. She snapped her pointer and middle fingers and a flame emerged from her forefinger. She lit it for him, before using her flame to light her own. She took a deep breath as she inhaled the smoke, passing the joint in her hand over to Tenten. The first-timer smiled shyly, placing the filtered end between her lips and pulling smoke in using the muscles of her mouth before breathing through her nose to absorb the smoke through her lungs as the other two exhaled. Kiba passed his joint to Izanami, snaking his left arm around her hips as he placed the pre-rolled bundle of joy between her soft lips. He lightly ran his two fingers down them as he pulled his right hand back and rested his left hand on her upper thigh. Tenten passed hers to Kiba as she exhaled. She smiled the cheesiest smile that Izanami ever saw, excited that she had successfully hit the joint without coughing.

"It was exactly like a cigarette! I don't smoke much, but I remembered not to pull too much because one time Guy-Sensei had me try a cigarette and made me inhale a lot so that I would cough and never want to smoke again." She said, giggling afterwards. Kiba and Izanami shook their heads in response to her story. She gasped as she realized something, and quickly ran back into the apartment and came back out with a pitcher of water and an additional glass for Kiba. She poured some for herself as well as Kiba and Izanami.

"Thanks, Tenten!" Izanami said, passing her the joint.

"Of course! You always mentioned in your stories that your mouth gets really dry from smoking weed so I thought I should grab us some." She said before taking another hit.

They continued their endeavors, music from the speakers beginning to set the tone. The trio would either sing along or bob their heads to the beat. Their rotation went on for only about ten minutes, but in the moment it had felt like an hour. Tenten was smiling at the night sky, her brain felt as though there were ripples of waves flowing through her skull. Her tongue was wet, but there was a cotton-like sensation she could feel in her mouth, so she started to drink some water. When she turned down her turn to smoke, Izanami had lit a new joint. The previous two had been demolished between the trio, burnt down to the filter. Suddenly, Tenten remembered she had leftover sesame dumplings from her trip home, and she excused herself to the kitchen.

Izanami chuckled as she watched her from the kitchen, blowing out smoke and handing Kiba the joint. "She's definitely feeling high." She said, a small sense of pride in her voice.

"Definitely." Kiba agreed, taking a drag himself before looking back to Tenten, who was reheating her dumplings in the microwave. She was staring at the clock and fumbling with her hands, feeling the ripples of her skin flow. She flinched when the microwave beeped, forgetting that she had even used it. She smiled as she grabbed the plate and some soy sauce before making her way back. She had told herself to act normal but was walking extremely slow. Kiba shook his head as he scoffed, turning back to Izanami and handing her the joint.

"Wanna see something cool? You can't be weird, though." She said, taking a couple small hits while waiting for his response.

"I can't promise you I won't be weird, but I'd like to see what tricks you've got up your sleeve." He said, smirking as he looked up at the girl on his lap.

"Okay, when I exhale you have to inhale. Got it?" She said, pulling a long drag out of the joint and holding it in. He nodded, slightly nervous to see what she would do. She leaned in very close to his face, tilting her head slightly before placing her supple lips against his and parting them slightly with her own. She exhaled slowly, blowing the smoke into his mouth and he inhaled. She could feel his face heating up with the hand that cupped his cheek gently. His heart rate had also spiked, her tender touch giving him hope for the attempts at acknowledgment he had been giving her for a while without any response. When she pulled back, she chuckled at the flush on his face. He had also closed his eyes softly, but opened them with a hint of embarrassment glazed over them. His eyes were a deep brown, but the way his eyelashes wisped upwards made them beautiful. Izanami examined the very well-maintained face, noticing how he had little to no acne and small beauty marks spread out scarcely upon his temples and cheek bones. His usual face paint was removed, leaving the almost perfect blank canvas that was his tan skin. She had always found him immensely attractive, but felt that her initial, reserved personality would have made her unappealing to him. Kiba grabbed the hand on his face, exhaling before attempting to lean in and actually kiss her. Tenten sliding the glass door open had stopped him, however. She snickered as she caught the two, placing her plate on the table and offering some dumplings to them. Izanami shook her head 'No' as she took another hit. Kiba didn't respond but Tenten brushed it off, as eating was her main priority right now.

"So what was that?" Kiba asked after a moment.

Izanami placed the joint in his mouth with her right hand and ran the same one through his surprisingly soft hair, stopping at the base of his neck and twirling the strands between her fingers. "It's called a shotgun kiss," She said after exhaling, "Basically, it's another way to smoke. It takes a few of them to get high, however. Although I don't think we'll need to do more since that joint is almost gone." She said as she giggled, leaning and bumping her head onto Kiba's like he had done to her earlier at dinner. She yawned softly, stretching her back as she did.

"I'm honestly really tired, I think I might go to bed." She said as she lifted her water glass to her lips and drank it all. Kiba pouted, he yearned for their time together to continue. But he understood that she needed her rest, since it had only been a few days since she got out of the hospital.

"Same here, but I don't think it's a good idea for me to jump ledges again. Can I spend the night? I can sleep on the couch, if you want." He said, finishing the joint off before ashing it on the sole of his shoes. Izanami nodded as she got up, grabbing the leather pouch and leaning over to Tenten for a hug goodnight.

"Don't eat too much or you'll throw up, okay Twin Buns?" She said before entering the house, Kiba followed suit. He reached for her hand as they walked down the hall, their fingers intertwined. She looked over at him with heavy lids, smiling softly as she led him to enter her room. There was no way she would let a guest sleep on the couch.

She let go to close the door and remove the pants and socks she was wearing before plopping onto her bed and getting under the duvet. Kiba undressed as he did the time before. This time, though, he folded his clothes neatly on the dresser.

He crawled into the bed with Izanami, immediately pulling her close and snuggling his face into the crook of her neck. Her scent was amplified, and it only made his attraction to her intensify. He rubbed his hand up and down her bare thigh, his calloused fingers tracing small swirls around it. He would test his limits by inching closer and closer to her panties, before eventually looping the hem around his finger and playing with it.

_Do it_, purred the demon within Izanami._ You know you want to._

He sent chills down her spine, his breath on her ear and his touch gently caressing her soft skin. She laid on her back and grabbed his hand, slowly leading it to her wet pussy as she pulled her panties to the side with her free hand. There was a hitch in his throat as he realized she was as turned on as he was. His breath became shaky as he played with her very elegantly. His middle digits continued to trace swirls along her folds, teasing her a little before slipping into her vagina. She gasped softly as he began pumping slowly, curling his fingers as he did. He leaned closer to her face, lips barely touching as he watched her unravel. Her grip on his wrist and forearm tightened as small withheld moans left her lips.

The sound was music to his ears and he all but drowned himself in it, canceling out all other noises. She pulled her bottom lip in with her teeth as he continued, her chest rising and falling so quickly as she panted onto his lips. He pressed them against hers softly, his tongue grazing her bottom lip a little. She kissed back, but a moan escaped causing her mouth to part slightly. It was enough for Kiba's tongue to enter, though. He flicked and wrapped his tongue around hers, licking and rubbing it as he sped up his fingers.

_**Oh, fuck, this boy knows what he's doing. **_She thought, squeezing her eyes shut.

_You're damn right he does, I told you he would be a good choice._

She had no time to respond as her mind went blank. Her moans became more consistent as she reached her climax. She grasped the back of his head as they pulled away from the kiss, keeping his forehead pressed against hers as her face crinkled in ecstasy, her lips slightly parted in a pouting position.

"I'm close." She moaned softly. Kiba's erection twitched in response, his boxers restricting it from extending to his full length. He removed his digits to swirl around her clit, pressing into it gently and switching from this to pumping inside. She gasped in pleasure, panting hard to avoid screaming.

"You better cum, Nami. I wanna taste you on my fingers. You smell so… _heavenly_." He growled in her ear as he pumped and swirled harder. She bit into his neck as she moaned, gripping his wrist so tightly her knuckles had gone white. He removed his fingers to swirl her sensitive nub one last time, as fast as he could.

"Ohhhh, fuck!" She whisper-shouted as she came. A burst of liquid shot through the air, dripping on to the wooden floor at the foot of the bed. Kiba smirked as he looked down at Izanami, who was struggling to catch her breath.

_Did you just—_ The voice was cut off by Kiba.

"Nami-chan, you dirty girl. You didn't tell me you could squirt." He teased, removing his hand from her panties and inhaling her scent before sucking her juices off them.

"I hav- I, I have nev-, ugh!" Her body was shaking so hard from her climax she couldn't speak.

"Speechless, huh?" Kiba chuckled, "And I'm the first to make you squirt, you say? Well if I wasn't cocky before, I definitely earned the right to be now."

_Fuck yeah, he does. I might have to manifest myself to get a taste of him!_

"Sh-Shut up." She said to both the demon and the wolf boy before taking a deep breath to calm her heart rate. He chuckled again, placing a small kiss on her cheek.

"You taste addicting, by the way. I might have to make you cum more often; I can't imagine how I _lived_ without tasting that. It must be all those berries you teased me with yesterday." He whispered against her ear, cooing as he complimented her. _**Damn, he's so fucking sexy, **_she thought. She smiled at him as she looked down at his softening erection.

"Would you like me to take care of that?" She asked, beginning to shift down the bed.

"Nah," He replied, catching her by surprise. She furrows her brows in confusion as she looked back at him, "It was invigorating enough watch you squirm and squeal as I touched you. You don't have to do anything. Well, besides cuddle me." He joked, laying back down under the covers.

_What a gentleman! That's the last straw, I have decided you are going to marry him._

_**Stop that, he's probably not down for a relationship. **__**I'm**__** not even ready for one.**_

She turned to face him, admiring his side profile for a moment. She then wrapped her leg across his hips, and he held it in place like he had done the previous time. This time, though, she wrapped her arm over his neck and tucked her hand under his pillow. She also placed her head on his shoulder, giving it a couple soft kisses before drifting off to a night of blissful sleep.

The morning was kind this time. A soft warm breeze had sifted through the trees, the summer air carrying soft tones of freshly baked sweet buns at the bakery down the road. Izanami's window had been left a crack open, and the smell had awoken her rumbling tummy. She had inhaled deeply before rubbing her eyes and rolling over. Her bed was empty, the warmth of her companion had been gone for some time now. She pouted and continued to stretch as the morning swallows chirped outside. She hopped off her bed and made her way to her bathroom to start her day. Her tightly braided locks hadn't budged much, and she knew she would leave them be until the party started. She brushed her teeth and washed her face, as her usual morning routine called for. She would stare at the mirror for a while before checking her body for any reason to shave. She didn't mind growing out hair, but personally liked being a clean slate. After she realized she had small love bites on her shoulder, she smirked and went back to her bedroom to pick an outfit out for the day and decide on what to wear for the party. She would be going out to the shops to find something most likely on the clearance rack with Hinata and Tenten after breakfast. The clock on her dresser read 10:34 am, a little later than her usual time but she slept very heavily thanks to the joints she smoked the night before. She scanned her bare closet for something cute but easy to maneuver around in for shopping. She saw a tie-dye shirt that was a blend of bubblegum pink, a soft yellow, and a baby blue that Tenten lent her a while back. It was a spaghetti strap top with a V-neck dip and had been tied with a small loop at the front to become a shorter length. She removed her current top, and bra, before slipping into the top. She liked being braless when she didn't have to be on missions, so not wearing one while adorning this smooth polyester top felt nice. She also didn't feel like washing her clothes, so she slipped a pair of nylon tights and black pajama shorts from the hamper back on. She had only worn them for an hour or something the other day, so she felt they weren't really dirty. She had found an old pair of worn sneakers from her civilian days when she had packed up to move here and missed the feel of laced up shoes, so she decided to wear those too. She walked out to the kitchen to see her friends engaging in small whispers as they drank tea.

"Good morning," Izanami said as she grabbed a cup from the cabinet for her own tea.

"Oh, Nami-chan! Good morning." Hinata said as she smiled at the girl. "How did you sleep? Kiba-kun left earlier this morning, but he said he would meet us here before the party."

"I slept well! Surprisingly, I did not feel him get out this morning. I'm usually able to wake up at the drop of a pin!" She yawned; her body was still begging for the comfort of her bed. "What about you, Tenten? How did you sleep?"

Tenten had a mouth full of riceball, but she spoke anyhow, "Soo good. I didn't even wake up when nee-chan came to tell me she wanted to go for a run."

Izanami chuckled. Hinata was always trying to better herself, even on her days off. "I'm glad. So, what were you guys talking about?" She said, picking up a riceball from the box the pair of kunoichi in front of her had bought for the morning.

"Well a few of our friends had bought you some things as a gift for your promotion, and I didn't know whether you would prefer to open the box now or la—" Hinata's explanation was cut off by Izanami's choking on riceball.

"Nee-chan! Are you okay?" Tenten exclaimed, smacking her friend on the back.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Izanami said after a couple coughs. "But you said a couple of friends? Who? How sweet, but—"

"No buts! We did this because we care about you." Hinata interrupted.

"Yeah," Tenten said, "And since I wasn't there when they had bought the stuff, I will pay for your sexy ass to get all dolled up today!"

Izanami pouted as her eyes welled up. She never had been gifted anything, not since her birthdays as a child. Sure, when she reached high school she'd met Yuna and her family was generous to her, but she had not been considered family like this. Being called a sister by someone she holds near and dear helped fill the ever-growing hole in her heart.

"Nooooo. Nope. No crying today, nee-chan!" Tenten exclaimed, grabbing the girl's hands, "Today you will not be sad, or worried. Today will be all about how bad you are!" She said, winking at her as she shook their hands to stop the tears from spilling over Izanami's eyelids.

Izanami sniffled, removing a single hand before rubbing her eyes. "You're right!" She said after a while, winking back at Tenten. "Today will be awesome! And tonight will be even better."

The girls laughed as they came together for a group hug. "Sisters forever!" Hinata chirped as she squeezed her friends. Izanami smiled, but there was something near the back of her mind that was tugging at her heart. The vast amount of darkness occupying her sad heart was attempting to overcome the joy she felt.

_**I miss you, mom. Did you ever think about having more kids? I know I didn't really meet your expectations. I know I'm not the special and happy girl you thought I'd be. **_

She thought, shaking her hands— and the ideas of suicide— away. The girls finished up their meal and gathered their things before heading out to the shops. The bright sun was bearable for once, and Izanami's skin had glowed as they walked around various shops. There were few tan or darker toned people around the Leaf, despite Lord Third's family as well as Iruka and Kiba. Izanami had always felt out of place because of this; People would stare either in awe or disgust as they examined her medium-tan skin tone. The usual shops were not sufficient enough for some reason. She had bought a pair of black close-toed heels as well as a silver body chain that went around the neck and arms with a diamond shaped design sitting between the breasts and a few strands of rhinestones crossing the chest up to her collarbone. She couldn't find anything that fit right, however. A common struggle for her turned her afternoon sour as the trio sat at a bench by the fountain at the center of town. Hinata huffed, she had the same problem as Izanami (having bigger breasts herself) but it was different because she liked to hide her body whereas Izanami isn't afraid to show some skin.

"Let's try that one shop again. The one by the clubs on the eastside! I'm sure we can find something." Her determination brought a smile to Izanami's face.

"Okay! We can do it!" Izanami stood, ready to go.

"Ughhhh. Let's grab something on the way, I'm _starving_." Tenten pouted as she dragged her feet along the road, trailing behind her friends.

Izanami giggled before she spoke, "Pork buns?!"

Tenten's face lit up in excitement as they rushed to their favorite vendor. If someone was passing by, minding their own business, the girls would look like they were children playing around by the giddy giggles they were exchanging and the way they skipped and ran around, peering between each and every shop as they munched on the savory pork buns. Izanami's new powers had her feeling uneasy, as she was noticing way more people than usual. She had social anxiety, and normally would tune out the sounds of people talking as she shopped but, this was different. People seemed to be louder today, though there was hardly any out. She found herself distracted by groups of men and various couples speaking amongst themselves. They would babble on about their civilian lives, their kids, how much/little money they're making, and an endless number of topics. But she couldn't help but wonder if they were talking about her. She had been in and out of the dressing room plenty of times to catch the attention of a few passerby's, men and women alike. They would wander their way into the shop, glance over at whatever scandalous thing she was wearing, then walk out when they got enough images of her body stored in their minds. It made her upset, but she would force a smile for her friends.

_Don't let them get to you, Hayami. You are beautiful, and people would give their all to either look like you or to be with you. That's not your fault, nor something you can change. Take pride in your beauty, for you can use it to your advantage one day._

The woman was right, and Izanami could feel the warmth of a hand on her shoulder as she made eye contact with her audience outside. She blew a seductive kiss at a group of Shinobi who had been staring at her as they walked past; causing them to trip or bump into one another as their noses bled. She giggled now as they left as quickly as possible to avoid further embarrassment.

"Okay! I found this hidden between some racks, and I can totally see why!" Tenten exclaimed, catching Izanami's attention as she turned around. The smiling girl was holding a hanger that bore a deep silver-blue bodysuit that glistened with glitter and a plunging v-neck that would stop just above Izanami's belly button. The long sleeves were slimming, but the ends drooped over and flared out like silver bell flowers. Izanami blushed at the thought of her body adorned by such a garment, but still took the hanger in hand as she grazed the very thin velvet material. Small footsteps beside her brought her to reality as she was face to face with Hinata.

"I think that would look amazing on you if you wore these too." She held up a silver metallic faux leather skater skirt, too short for comfort, that also had spandex silver boy shorts sewn underneath. In her other hand, she held a thick rhinestone choker, and Izanami beamed. It surprised her how well Hinata knew her style and interests. Time and time again she had always felt there was a part of Hinata hadn't liked her, but moments like these made her realize she couldn't be more wrong.

"Oh, Hina-chan," Izanami blushed as she hugged her, "Thank you." She said before busting through the changing room door behind them. Upon exiting, Tenten choked on the last pork bun. Hinata's jaw dropped and Izanami felt the flow of foot traffic stop as she looked up at the pair of kunoichi in front of her. The pleads for approval glossed over her eyes as she peered over to her friends. Izanami's bare chest had been pronounced thanks to the plunging v-neck of the bodysuit, her hips accentuated due to the hem of the skater skirt, and her long legs had been carved out because she decided to wear the previously bought heels with the outfit to see If It matched.

"HOLY FUCK YOU LOOK SOOOOO GOOD!" Tenten screamed, flailing her arms around after coughing up the pork bun. Hinata's face had flushed severely as she left her mouth agape, but she began grinning so hard that it thrown Izanami off.

"Sooo, Hinata? What do you think nee-chan?" Nervousness shook Izanami's voice as she spoke. Hinata was speechless, however, a very loud woman's approaching scream had embodied how she felt.

"NAMI THE YUMMY IS THAT YOU?!" She shrieked, smothering Izanami with a near hug and swinging her from side to side.

"M-Madam Dyamond? Wh-What are you doing here?" Izanami asked, confirming Tenten and Hinata's suspicions that she knew the older woman. Dyamond was scantily clad in a tight black dress that barely fit past her ass as well as large hoop earrings and various diamond watches, bracelets, and necklaces.

"Oh, you! It's been what, four years? My, my, you sure have grown." The woman teased as she stepped back and winked at the teen. "This shop has become the girls' favorite for their set outfits. Where are you working now? Wearing something like that tells me you've moved way far up! What can I expect from my number one earner? Well, our club is still the most popular in the Land of Fire! We renovated the whole thing with the rebuild after that Pain fellow destroyed it, but it looks better than ever!" Dyamond rumbled on about how the club was now three stories, with the top floor being exclusively for shinobi and kunoichi alike, and how there was now a separate party room for people to thrown gatherings.

"O-Oh. Madam, I don't dance anymore…" Izanami chuckled awkwardly, scratching her head in nervousness. "I'm actually a kunoichi now, I passed the Academy exams like I said I wanted to…"

The woman gasped in excitement, "Oh, Izzy! I am so proud of you!" She squealed as she hugged the young woman again.

Tenten cleared her throat, "Yeah, she actually just made Chunin! She's the first kunoichi to be promoted without taking the Chunin exams. We're here gathering things for her promotion party tonig—"

"A _party _you say!?" The woman exclaimed, "Little Namchi! You must celebrate this achievement at the club tonight! No cost! I will throw in some free shots of Sake for you and your friends!" The woman insisted, winking at the girls again.

"Well, actually…" Hinata's soft voice said, "We saved up money to throw nee-chan a party at home.."

"But, my dear! You can use that money to buy other drinks or food at my club! I simply_ can't_ allow you all to celebrate without my help."

"M-Madam, the club is restricted to those over eighteen. Besides, it is illegal for those under twenty-one to drink alcohol. Most of our group is aged seventeen and below…" Hinata said, hoping that it would convince the woman to back off.

"Nonsense! You look eighteen to me, besides, what the guards hear from me is that you are all twenty-one. Now, I must be going. I have a lot of planning to do!" She said, scurrying off. Leaving the trio of kunoichi groaning as she exited the shop.

"Well, at least we get free stuff from it!" Tenten exclaimed, trying to make the girls feel better.

"Yeah, but we're gonna be out at night. What if we run into Sensei or other Jonin?" Hinata pouted, she didn't like the idea of being in a strip club for the party.

"Hey, it's cool we can just stay at home. Our apartment is a block away from here, but I doubt she will come looking for us." Izanami shrugged, returning to the dressing room to change back.

"But, I kind of… Want to go." Tenten said, kicking the ground slightly in protest. "We get free alcohol!" She whisper-shouted to Izanami behind the door.

"Twin Buns, it makes Hina-chan uncomfortable, I don't want to do that to her," Izanami argued, defending her friend's wishes.

Hinata huffed, "Nee-chan, if it is what you wish I don't mind going."

Izanami opened the door roughly as she exited furrowing her brows in concern. "But, Hinata—"

"No buts! We're family, remember? I would do anything to make you happy." Hinata cut her off, forcing a brave smile on her face. Izanami sighed, but her eyes sparkled with joy as she hugged her. "Thank you for stepping out of your comfort zone." She whispered low enough for Hinata to hear but not Tenten.

The girls purchased their items and headed back to their apartment in preparation for tonight's events. Izanami blasted her music through her speaker so that all three girls could hear it as they prepared. It had only been a couple of hours since they left, but they all knew it would take them a long time to get ready.

Izanami took a quick rinse off, being sure to scrub and exfoliate her body as well as her face and lather herself in coconut oil and moisturizer afterwards. She knew that makeup is easier applied to a freshly exfoliated face and was sure to pass this information on to her roomies. Hinata was in the shower, but Tenten had been working on a dress. She liked to hem her own contributions to her outfits to practice her craft. If she hadn't become a kunoichi, one would assume she would be a seamstress for them. She was always coming up with new ways to hide kunai, as well as drawing up ideas for different kinds of weapons. She had decided on wearing a spaghetti strap tank top that was square in shape, and its silver metallic material resembled Izanami's skirt. Her shorts were made of real leather, stretchy enough to accent her ass but tight enough to stay in place. She complimented this outfit with a pair of silver heels and fishnet thigh high socks. Her hair was pulled into two ponytails that had been curled, and she let two strands stray out in the front, framing her cute face that Izanami had made up. Izanami had experience with makeup due to working at the strip club and learning different things. She had cleaned up Tenten's eyebrows and filled in barren spaces with feather-like strokes of an eyebrow pencil. Tenten's usual bare eyelids had been slightly changed with a blend of silver, beige, and black eyeshadow that created a very simple version of a matte smokey eye for her eye shape. A small dot of silver metallic shadow had been tapped into the tear duct area of her eye and black penciled eyeliner was smudged on her lower lash line. She's never worn anything so dark, especially on her face, so she looked completely different and she _liked_ it. When Izanami had finished with her face makeup, she brought a handheld mirror to Tenten, who was shocked to say the least. Topped off with a maroon lipgloss, Tenten was radiant. Her slightly blushed cheeks had actually heated up at the sight of herself.

"Oh, Twin Peaks, you did such an amazing job. I love it!" She exclaimed, jumping into her friend's arms as she squealed. "Now it's Hina-chan's turn!"

Hinata blushed as she was escorted into the chair. She never wore makeup but had hoped to impress Naruto tonight. Izanami knew just how much to apply for her as well; A little blush and bronzer, as well as a neatly blended matte purple and pink glitter shadow duo on her lids and sharp liquid liner that barely extended past the edge of her eyes. A bit of mascara and a matte berry-colored lipstick finished her look and Hinata had blossomed from her usual shy demeanor to a confident kunoichi. She grinned from ear to ear as she tilted her head to examine her face. Her berry colored dress had complimented her figured; it was ribbed, and the long sleeves had lace designs that covered the top half of the sleeves and crossed over her chest, exposing her cleavage and collarbones. The high neck made Hinata feel a bit more comfortable since she doesn't wear form-fitting attire often. Her outfit was completed by the black thigh high boot-heels she borrowed from Izanami (who had actually borrowed them from Tenten). The girls beamed over Hinata's change of style and complimented her about a hundred times before she finally agreed to still go out in what she was wearing. She watched Izanami get ready and ate a handful of snacks they had moved into the freshly cleaned bedroom, cautious not to ruin the new face Izanami had made up for her. The only mess in Izanami's room was her desk, which was piled up with miscellaneous makeup items. Music boomed through the speakers as the girls spend time together in silence. It was getting late, but the boys had yet to arrive, so Izanami was not in a rush. Especially since she was nervous to be back in the space that she had been forced to work at due to her history clashing with regular jobs.

_**(Last night boy I met you  
Yeah, when I was sleeping  
You're such a dream to me  
And it was on a day like this  
Yeah, if you can believe  
If you can believe  
You're such a dream to me.)**_

The girls sang along as they waited for Izanami to finish up, they fed on trail mix and leftover miso soup and helped Izanami decide what colors she should wear to match with her outfit. She had decided to wear a matte navy blue eyeshadow in the center of her lid with black eyeshadow smoking out the outer corners of her eyes and silver-white glitter blending from the inner corner of her eye to the center of the lid. It matched her bodysuit almost perfectly, and the cateye-like eyeliner she painted on her face had made her face just as beautiful as her body. She settled with a nude liquid lipstick and small silver hoop earrings. Underneath, however, she did not wear a bra because of how low the plunge in her bodysuit was, but she had on a pair of underwear that Hinata's present had revealed. It was a black laced g-string, too sexy for her, but it was the thought that counted. She slipped her newly bought heels on just as a fist pounded on the front door.

"Coming!" Shouted Tenten as she exited the room. Izanami took a sip from her mint green tea, hoping that she would get more energy as the night progressed. Hinata left, too, and it gave Izanami the chance to sneak a few joints into her wallet. She heard multiple voices, and her freshly readjusted ears could distinct who was talking. There was Naruto, Kiba, Ino, Shikamaru, Sakura, and another female voice she hadn't heard before. She stepped out of her room after making sure that she left it neater so she could avoid stumbling into random things if she came home drunk.

There was a wolf whistle, presumably from Kiba, as well as a gasp from Sakura as she entered the living room. Ino had ignored her entrance, continuing her conversation with another blonde girl beside her.

"Damn, Izanami, you clean up nice." Kiba flirted as he got up from the couch and pulled her in for a warm hug, she heard him inhale her perfume and she smirked. As they parted he licked his lips slightly and was about to speak when the door was rapped on a second time. It was Izanami's turn to open it and she smiled as Neji's eyes widened at her appearance. In his hand he carried a bottle of Sake.

"Hey Neji-senpai, come in!" She said, emphasizing the senpai for him. He blushed a little as they walked back into the house.

"Okay, everybody! There was a change of plans so listen up!" Tenten shouted from the kitchen.

Silence fell across the room as the teens gathered up into the small kitchen; Shot glasses were lined up across the granite countertop that was in the center of the room. Neji was pouring his sake into them, making sure not to spill a bit.

"So what's up?" Ino said, tossing some hair behind her.

"Okay, earlier while we were shopping, we ran into a lady who owns a club down the street. She overheard us talking about our party and she decided to invite us to throw it in a private room! For free!" Tenten exclaimed, excitement in her voice. The group reaction was mostly positive beside a few chuckles and a huff from Sakura. "I know some of us had thrown in some money to decorate the house and stuff, but instead of buying that stuff I'm bringing the money to buy more drinks or…" She trailed off as she built up tension.

"Or what?" Shikamaru said, "Don't leave us hanging, you troublesome woman."

"_OR_ I can exchange the bills for singles so that you guys can tip the male or female _strippers._" This created a storm of excitement from the group. The dudes were hyping each other up and the girls were giggling as they whispered to each other.

"So let's take some fucking shots!" Izanami shouted over the roaring group. They all excitedly stood in front of a glass, calling out to their friends either to stand near them or ask for a chaser. They took a few shots before cleaning up and starting to head out.

"Wait, before we go," Ino stopped the group before they went down the stairs of the apartment complex. "Let's go grab a few more people! There's not that many of us, and for a whole ass party room we should at least fill it!" She exclaimed, the group looked amongst themselves and a few of them ran to other apartment complexes to gather up Lee, Sai, Choji, Anko, and Karin. The remainder of the group passed around the bottle of sake and spoke amongst themselves but handed the bottle over to the new arrivals so that they can catch up. The now larger group started their way to the club, cracking jokes and messing around after they tossed the empty bottle of sake to the trash. Small attempts of flirting were tossed between a few of the shinobi but their ramblings faded away as they approached the entrance.

The bouncer crossed his arms in disapproval as he overlooked the group. Izanami pushed her way to the front, and his eyes widened. He smirked as he very obviously checked her out. Her eyes glossed over as her body language suddenly became very flirtatious as she peered up at the very tall and muscular man in front of her. She smiled sweetly at him as she recognized who he was.

He scoffed as a smile grew upon his face. "Izanami Akiyama. It's been a while. Are you legal yet?" He questioned, looking over the group behind her.

She giggled in a flirty way, "Oh, Kaito, that doesn't _really _matter does it?" She asked as she touched his arm. "Big boss told you we were coming, so you know you're going to let us in right?" She fluttered her lashes at him as he stepped aside, her friends entered as she too stepped to the side.

"You know that's not why I was asking." He mumbled. She winked at him as she followed the group inside, being dragged by a very jealous Kiba. He held her hand tightly as they were led to the staircase by a waitress. He stopped them while the rest of the group headed upstairs.

"You have some nerve." He growled in her ear with a low whisper, "Flirting with that guy right in front of me."

She chuckled, "You're not my man, Kiba-chan." She whispered back, kissing his ear gently before removing his hand from hers and quickly ascending the stairs before him.

"Hmmph. Not yet." He said loudly as he trailed behind her. She giggled as she entered the shinobi-only level. The music was loud, but she could see her group of friends entering a distant room that had a sign saying "Party members only" above it. She examined the room in front of her first, making sure no familiar faces saw her friends or her. Kiba walked past her, and she shook her head. She walked right behind him, her hands on his waist as they made their way to the private room. His body was stiff due to him being angry. She hummed in approval as she inhaled his cologne.

"Kiba you smell so good." She cooed in his ear. He huffed in frustration, stopping her before they entered the private room. He grabbed her hands and removed them before facing her.

"Don't tease me, Izanami-chan. I haven't told you this, but I have really strong feelings for you. And I just can't stand being played with like a toy. I can do the whole friends with benefits behind closed doors thing but you're flirting with me in the open, and that leads me to believe you have feelings for me too." He ranted on as Izanami's face softened.

_**He really was hurt by me flirting with the guard**_. She thought, her heart felt heavy for a beat while he continued. She had to stop him in his tracks before he let himself get hurt. She pulled him in for a tight hug, stopping his ramblings.

"Kiba, I'm so sorry. I won't flirt with people in front of you out of respect. I have never had someone be straight up with me like that. I really appreciate you doing that, but I'm not ready for a relationship. I hope you can understand." She said as she squeezed him.

"I get that, I was like that too. I still am, but," He parted their bodies to look in her eyes directly, "Just know that I'll be here, when you're ready." He blushed a little and it made Izanami smile. She pressed their foreheads together, which earned a spike in his heartrate and a smile on his face.

"I don't wanna hurt you. But I can't tell you to not wait up for me. Thank you for understanding." And with that, they entered the room.

"There she is! Girl, this's your party and you show up all late? Were you and Kiba—" Tenten was cut off by Izanami screaming for the group to take more shots. The night had just begun, and the teens relished in the change of atmosphere. Some have been to parties before, but never at a club. This space was saved for them, and they felt appreciated with every passing second. Their freedom from everyday missions or training allowed their personalities to be completely unleashed. With the help of all the alcohol they were buying, they became open books. Izanami took a sip of the mixed drink, her third, in her hand before speaking. They were playing Never Have I ever, the official rules in place. If you have done something that someone said they haven't done, an article of clothing is removed, or they take a shot. The trick was, they were not allowed to speak about training or anything shinobi related. So far, only a couple of people removed their jackets or vests, and It was getting too slow for Izanami.

"Never have I ever… Fucked someone of the same gender." She lied, hoping that someone— anyone would remove more layers. Sakura and Ino blushed before removing their outermost layers. Sakura had a scarf that she removed, exposing her hickey-covered neck. But Ino had to remove her bra from under her dress. It was a smart move, but she only made the tension worse.

"Oooo, Ino AND Sakura? I wonder who they slept with." Kiba teased, earning a middle finger from both the girls. The group laughed and it was now Neji's turn.

"Never have I ever slept with someone older than me." He said. Izanami faked a pout as she removed her skirt. The group cheered her on as she did but was shocked when Hinata removed her cardigan as well.

"Okay, Hinata!" Izanami cheered, "Care to tell the story?" She teased. Hinata blushed, shaking her head as she took another sip of her own drink. They continued on until Lee pointed out that only Sakura, Izanami, and Ino were participating in the removal of clothing where as everyone else were opting in for shots.

"You're right, _hic_, Lee. Maybe we should make them strip for us." Choji's slurry sentence made the group roar with either agreements or refusals. Izanami had already put her skirt back on, but she was curious to see how this would play out.

"Make it a competition! The best one gets to take home the rest of the money we have!" Anko cheered, she loved being involved in scandalous drama. Everyone looked at each other as opinions started changing to agreements.

"Fine!" Izanami exclaimed, knowing she would win. "Sakura-kun you're up first, but then Ino goes, and I'll be last." She smirked, looking over at Neji, Hinata, Tenten and Kiba. She hoped they would keep their mouths shut as they knew she had more experience than the other two. They laughed as they caught her glance, and Tenten wagged a finger at her friend.

"You're _bad_, Nami-chan." She said as the music changed for Sakura to approach the pole for the group. The girls cheered her on as the guys watched with excited eyes, Naruto especially. He had given up on her love a while back, but it was still exciting to see what she was hiding underneath. As expected, Sakura didn't know many pole tricks, but she had a way of moving that convinced Izanami that she had practiced dancing for either a partner or for a similar situation. They cheered as she unzipped her top and slowly revealed her blush-pink bra and toned torso. She giggled as she continued, stumbling a couple times before the song came to the end. The group cheered, mostly Naruto and Karin, and the second song started as Ino took the stage. She was clearly too drunk to stand and tripped over her heels as she held onto the pole for dear life. Feeling secondhand embarrassment, the other blonde girl (who Izanami discovered was named Temari) and Sai went up on stage and told her she was too drunk and that they needed to go home. The group was concerned, but after Ino said her goodbyes they all started to peel out. Choji, Lee, Sakura, and Naruto decided to leave first, but Naruto gave the remaining girls a hug before heading out. It was down to Shikamaru, Hinata, Neji, Tenten, Kiba and Izanami. Neji claimed he had a mission he had to pack for and started saying his goodbyes when Tenten claimed she was tired and asked if he could walk her halfway home since the Jonin apartments were closer than hers. Hinata decided that she would tag along, but asked Izanami to join them.

"Nah, it's cool! I'm not even drunk yet, but I will be home later so don't worry about me." She said, hugging her goodbye.

"Okay, be safe! Kiba and Shikamaru, you're in charge of her. Please don't cause any trouble." She pleaded as Tenten dragged her out the door. Two female strippers came through the door as they left, and they started their set. Izanami smiled at the boys sitting across from her as she dug her hand into her clutch and pulled out three joints. Kiba smirked, taking one for himself and looking over at Shikamaru as he lit it.

"You want one, Shikamaru?" Izanami asked, seating herself between them as she brought her own to her lips.

"I don't smoke." He said, "Cigarettes are bad for you, you know."

Izanami and Kiba chuckled. "It's not a cigarette, hun. It's weed." Izanami said, sparking up her own joint.

Shikamaru's eyes widened as he looked around and leaned toward them before speaking, "You're gonna get us in trouble."

"Don't worry, people smoke weed in here all the time. Besides, I know the owner." Izanami said after blowing smoke behind the booth they were on. The strippers on the stage were dancing as Kiba tossed a few bills at them and Izanami cheered them on. After a few minutes, Shikamaru caved and asked for the third joint.

"I've only ever done it a couple of times, but I'd rather smoke that than get ridiculously drunk." He said before taking the joint Izanami handed to him. For some time, they sat like that, just three people smoking together as they admired the dancers. They would talk every now and then, making remarks about some moves the girls did or discussing the earlier events of the night. They'd debate whether or not someone was lying when they took a shot or if they abstained from either option.

"Nah, she definitely looks like she'd sleep with a woman," Kiba said as he ashed his joint on the very convenient ash tray that laid on the edge of the stage in front of them.

"_Trust me_, Temari has never slept with a woman," Shikamaru said with a sly look on his face. "Or at least to my knowledge."

Izanami pushed him playfully, "Shikamaru Nara! You sly dog, you and her are sleeping together, aren't you?!" She teased, earning a laugh from Kiba.

"Bro, that's what's up!" He said, giving him a bro-hug for stating that. Izanami shook her head at them.

_**Boys are so dumb. If Tenten slept with someone hot, I wouldn't hug her. I would probably just scream and be all giddy for details.**_ She thought.

_Men aren't smart enough to realize that sex can't be seen as an accomplishment. Women know the details and feelings behind the act are more important, even if it's just a hook-up as you say. _The goddess replied, startling Izanami as she realized she forgot she could speak to her. She was going to reply when Kiba started to speak:

"Hey, Nami-chan why don't you go up and dance?" He said, earning a look from both her and Shikamaru. "What? All I'm saying's that we saw Sakura and Ino do their stuff but didn't get to see you do something. How are we supposed to give you the winner's earnings if we can't determine if you won or not?" He argued smoothly.

Shikamaru chuckled, "He's got a point, Izzy."

Izanami pouted, "I just figured we would spend the remains on the dancers!" As she spoke the dancers had finished their sets and were walking off. She groaned but took this as an opportunity to tease Kiba and smirked as she walked onto the stage. She approached the DJ booth and requested her favorite song from when she used to strip. The beat was slow, but the woman's voice made off like a fast-paced rap. She began a simple routine, spinning slowly around the pole as she created eye contact with the boys. She held her gaze as she began to increase the amount of effort she was giving. Her body moved graciously as she would bring her leg up as if she was doing a split as she spun. Eventually, she would be upside down, lowering herself until her hands met the stage and she did a back walk over and slid down to the splits. Shikamaru's eyes widened and Kiba's jaw dropped, they looked over at each other as she crawled sensually over to them. She had slid her skirt off when they had looked away, and she laid back. Her legs spread out over her body; she shook her foot to make her ass jiggle. Kiba gulped harshly and looked over at Shikamaru, who was loosening his collar. Jealousy had stirred in his stomach, but he wanted to keep calm to avoid fighting his friend over nothing. He looked back at Izanami, who was now on all fours and felt his hands shake as she arched her back for them and smacked her ass. The song was reaching the end and she laughed as she scooted over to the edge, pulling her skirt back on as she looked at them.

"So, do I win?" She asked. The boys had cherry red faces, and Shikamaru was trying to hide his bloody nose and adjusting his belt. Izanami smirked as she knew she had turned him on. Kiba, however, was pouting at her.

"Ye-Yeah, you win. Holy shit, where did you learn that?" Shikamaru asked.

Izanami grabbed the remaining cash and put it away as she spoke, "Remember how I said I knew the owner? I used to work here when I needed money. It wasn't legal, but that's another story. Are you guys ready to go?" She asked, sparking up another joint. They nodded in response and went to exit the party room with her, passing the joint between themselves. Unfortunately for them, they ran into a very familiar masked face as soon as they did. He had his arms crossed as he watched them close the door behind them. They froze in place, unsure of how to react.

"Well, well, you three are definitely not supposed to be here. But you definitely are not supposed to be fucking smoking pot, either." Kakashi spat as they scrambled to apologize to the Jonin. "Don't. Shikamaru, Kiba, you two head home. Izanami, here, has some explaining to do to avoid a meeting with the Hokage." He warned.

"It's not her fault, Hayate-sensei—" Kiba started.

"The owner told me it was her party, so this is her responsibility. Go home before I punish you and the rest of the ninja I saw exit this door." He ordered. Kiba and Shikamaru left, with the joint, and Kakashi grabbed the girl by the back of her neck as they made their way to another stairwell and down the street. Once they entered a quieter spot, he ordered her to explain herself. They had only made it just past the Jonin apartments and were now by condos that surround the Hokage's office. Mostly ANBU lived in them, and Izanami wouldn't have known this unless she knew who was ANBU and who wasn't. She assumed they were regular condos that rich people lived at, but she wasn't thinking that as he pushed up against the wall in anger.

"What were you thinking!? Throwing a party at a very popular strip club? The same one you worked at?! What would you do if Guy saw you, how do you explain to him that you smoke pot and strip for fun?" He whisper-shouted. He didn't want to wake the neighbors.

"I didn't want to! I was gonna have people come to my apartment b-bu-but the owner saw me at th-the shop, and she wouldn't let us leave without agreeing to come by! Th-The smoking, that's all me. I'm so sorry, Kakashi-Sensei. I just felt like escaping for a bit, and, and I didn't mean to strip I just—"

"That's enough. I don't care that you smoke, I care that you do so recklessly. So publicly." He sighed, crossing his arms again. "And stripping, what happened to resenting that? Did you not hate doing that when you needed money?"

"I'm sorry you had to see that Kaka-sensei; I was dared to—"

"I'm not." He said, catching her off guard. He groaned in frustration, running his hands through his hair as he paced in front of her. She looked at him, shocked by what he had said.

"Kakashi-sensei?" She started, earning a glare from him as he stopped and faced her. "What did you just say?" She squeaked, her voice shaking due to how scary he was.

He deeply inhaled as he approached her. "I said, I am not sorry that I watched you dance. Izanami-chan. I— ugh!" He grabbed her by the neck again, earning a yelp before he pulled his mask down and kissed her. Almost instantly, they were feverish for each other. He pressed her body against the wall harder, roughly grabbing her legs and pulling them up around his waist. Their sloppy kisses sparked a familiar pulsating heat between Izanami's legs. Kakashi growled as he grabbed her tightly and jumped up to his window. They quickly, and messily, removed each other's clothing. Kakashi even removed his headband to reveal his scarred eye. Izanami traced the line gently, her naked body pressed up against his. He looked away, but she turned his face back at her.

"Kakashi, you don't have to worry." She whispered. "I don't judge."

He smirked, placing his hand back on her neck as he pushed her backward and lead her to the bed. "From now on, you call me Daddy. Or else. Do you understand?" he growled, starting to kiss her body.

"Yes, Daddy." she said, biting her lip as she looked up at the finely crafted man on top of her. He had so many scars, both emotionally and physically, and she could feel the frustration of his desires battling his duties as a sensei as he struggled to continue his journey down her body.

"Izanami, are you okay with this? If I am making you uncomfortable as a higher-ranking shin—"

"Daddy, don't worry. I just want you to fuck me already." She whined. He flinched; the words pushed every doubt he had left off the table. He leaned down and began to eat her out. She moaned loudly as soon as he did. He was good, and his tongue had been rough with her clit. She gripped a handful of his silver hair as he peered up at her. Her legs began to shake as she continued moaning, looking him in the eye as she gasped and bit her lip.

"Fuck, Daddy, you eat my pussy so good." She exclaimed, her legs attempting to squeeze shut. He shoved them down.

"Keep your fucking legs spread, or I will have to punish you." He ordered.

"Yes, Daddy." She moaned as he went back down. She couldn't help but grind her hips against his tongue, forcing her climax to edge itself closer. "D-Daddy— I'm gonna cum." She was panting, her body beaded with sweat as she used every muscle to hold her legs apart.

"No, not yet." He said as he got up and slammed his dick roughly into her. She screamed; she wasn't expecting him.

"Fuck, your pussy is so tight, baby." He moaned, thrusting and grinding his hips into hers as he grabbed her throat. His free hand grabbed her wrists and held them over her head. "Don't move." He ordered again before sliding his dick out until the tip was the only part left inside and slamming it back in repeatedly. She screamed with pleasure, her legs instinctively wrapping around his hips.

He pulled out completely, "What the fuck did I just tell you?"

"So-Sorry, Daddy, I didn't m-me-an to." She whined, pouting at the loss of his dick.

"No, you did. Turn over. Now." He growled, grabbing a few things from under the bed as she got on all fours. He tied her hands to the headboard, and placed a bar between her legs that had velcro cuffs for her thighs so that she couldn't move them. This only turned her on more, her juices began to drip onto the sheets as her body shook from pleasure and excitement. He smacked her ass cheek, earning a gasp from her as he lined himself up again.

"Do you want this, baby?" He teased her, rubbing the tip up and down her slit. She trembled as she panted.

"Y-Yes, Daddy." She said, her voice small.

"I can't hear you, what did you say?" He said, spanking her again. She moaned, arching her back more and leaning her hips back to him.

"D-Daddy, I want your dick." She whined.

"Beg for me baby. Beg for daddy's dick." He hummed in her ear, pushing just the tip of his dick in and out of her hole.

"Fuck!" She groaned as she was being teased. "Daddy, _please_! I want you to fuck my brains out, please Daddy. Please, _please_!" She begged, kissing and sucking the fingers from the hand that snaked around her face.

"Since you asked so nicely." He quickly said, squeezing her mouth shut as he rammed into her. Her muffled screams of pleasure made his eyes roll back. He fucked her from behind as hard as he could, squeezing her hips with his other hand. Surely there would be bruises from his tight grip, and definitely handprints on her ass cheeks as he spanked her every now and then to hear her yelp. Eventually, when she started gasping, he removed the hand from her mouth.

"Daddy! Oh, Daddy, can I cum now?" She moaned, bitting her lip roughly.

"Yes, go ahead. Cum for Daddy." he moaned as her walls tightened around his bare cock. She released onto him with a relieved scream she muffled as she buried her face between his pillows. Her cum trickled down her legs and dripped onto his thighs. The air was stale, the windows and mirrors had fogged up, but he persisted. He continued to fuck her, ignoring her trembling legs and her gasps for air. Her second climax was building, he could feel her walls pulsing around him as she moaned his name for him. He let it slide, too occupied with crashing his hips into her perfect ass. He thought of ramming her body at least twice a day as he read his Icha Icha novels. The day she asked him to join her at the bath house, he had to beat off in the shower to avoid taking her to a remote place to fuck her brains out. He could have any woman he wanted, but being his subordinate meant she was off limits. Good thing she's no longer on his team.

"Izanami, you're so perfect. You're wrapped so tightly around my dick. Who told you that you could have such a perfect pussy?" Kakashi moaned, his thrusts becoming sloppier as his climax neared.

"It's all yours, Daddy. Fuck it. Fill up this tight pussy. I want to feel you cum, Daddy." She moaned; her knuckles white from gripping the headboard as she trembled. Her body glistened with sweat, she could feel her climax nearing, she moaned loudly. "I'm gonna cum, oh fuck, you feel so good." She exclaimed before screaming into a pillow as she came a second time. He smirked, pulling out and releasing her. She fell onto the bed to catch her breath.

"Uh uh. Come here." He ordered, pointing to the edge of the bed. She crawled over to him, realizing he hadn't came yet. "Open your mouth." She did as she was told, placing her hands on his hips to prepare herself. He slid his dick into her open mouth, moaning as she began to suck and bob her head, looking up at him innocently. His hands cupped her head, holding back hair at the same time he shoved it onto his dick. She twirled her tongue around his shaft, taking his whole length in deeply. He moaned, the sight of her lips wrapped around his dick and the feel of her mouth brought him back to the edge.

"Fuck, Izanami, I'm gonna cum." He warned, pulling her hair back more as he started to wean off her. He prepared to cum on her perfectly round breasts, but she pulled him back. She swirled her tongue around the tip as she used a hand to help pump his shaft. He gripped her hair hard as he moaned, watching as his cum shot into her mouth. She swallowed and continued pumping until the very last drop came out, and she licked it off the tip seductively staring at him as he caught his breath. She smiled up at him, licking her lips briefly before sitting back onto her legs. His hands left her hair, sliding down to her shoulders before bending down and placing a kiss on her lips. He looked around for his underwear, pulling them back on before crawling under the sheets. Izanami re-dressed; shoes included. Kakashi sat up, protesting her actions.

"Hey, come on, stay the night. It's too late to be out right now." He said.

"Kakashi, as fun as that was, you know what would happen if I walk out of here tomorrow." She sighed, picking her purse back up. In a flash he was up against her back, wrapping some hair behind her ear.

"Please stay, I want you to stay with me." He cooed, kissing her cheek softly.

"I'm still a minor," She continued, pushing him back a little with her shoulder as she headed to the window. "This can't be a thing, Kashi-chan." She said with a heavy heart. This is the second time she lets a man down in a single night. She huffed as he opened it with sadness returning to his eyes. She never knew he had wanted something like this from her. He was begging her not to leave as if they were together.

"Kashi… It wouldn't work. Two broken people, trying to glue each other back together. One being underage? Honey, you can't be serious." She argued. He pouted at her; he had hoped he could convince her to commit to him.

"I can't make you feel things that aren't there, 'Nami. I hope you come back sometime, though I understand your reasons not to. Leave a sign on my window when you want to meet up. I'll leave it open that night if you want." He cursed himself, he knew better than to beg further on. He knew this was simply an infatuation he had; he had grown attached to her. She knew what darkness felt like; she could understand his troubled heart. But that wasn't her responsibility. This experience had awoken his senses, he now knew that he needed to seek real help instead of plunging himself into the abyss of women and sex. Of course, he would stay the pervy man he was, but he thanked Izanami for helping him realize he had attempted to use her as a way to escape his reality instead of facing it.

"I know." She said, smiling softly. He quickly apologized and hated himself for realizing someone else had previously done that to her. "I love you, Kashi." She said, catching him off guard. "Just not in the way you want me to. Get help, fix the pieces and come back to me. I can't be another outlet for a man's heartache." She explained, making a statement for herself more than him.

_**Did I just say I wanted to be monogamous?**_ Izanami asked the goddess.

_Uh… I'm not sure, I wasn't really paying attention but… I think so? _She replied.

She kissed him, placing her hand on his chest as their lips locked. His heart rate was steady, so she knew he didn't really want a relationship. She pulled back and smiled before jumping out of the window.

"Wait, does this mean I'm not in trouble?" She yelled up to him.

"Shut up and go to bed!" He responded, earning a giggle as she waved goodbye and took off.

_**I can't believe this; I literally just fucked a sensei. AND I think I want to settle down with someone. God, I feel so weird.**_

_Girl, you better get that wolf boy to ask you out. I wanna see what his dick looks like. _

_**You're disgusting, but I do too so… Maybe. It's probably just the weed I smoked. It must have changed my brain or something. I should check into the hospital.**_

_Bitch, shut up before I make you vomit lava again._

Izanami giggled as she arrived at her apartment door, silently opening up and locking it before slipping her heels off. She heard small moans coming from behind Tenten's door. She covered her mouth to avoid scaring them and tiptoed slowly past it. She couldn't help but take a peek, however, she wasn't expecting what she saw.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys I hope you like the update. I know it's been a while so I made sure that this one was longer than usual to make up for it! Please leave a review or add this to your subscriptions! :)


	8. Chapter 8: A Breath of Fresh Air (smut)

It was the day before Izanami would be evaluated for either continuing to be barred from missions, or to let her begin to be available for assignments again. Izanami is in the shower, letting the steam envelope her; She let the shower streams flow down her hair as she leaned her forehead on to the shower wall. The waterfall-like waves of water carried strands of her hair down her torso and laid them on her crossed arms. The heat her body was releasing in reaction to such scalding water, raised her temperature beyond a fever-like touch.

_**I can't believe I saw Tenten getting fucked last night.**_ She thought to herself.

_I don't even want to talk about it right now, Hayami-chan. Your mother would be so disappointed if you didn't pretend like you hadn't saw anything. _The goddess was a little irritated.

_**Why would she have sex with **__**him?**_

_There's no correct reasoning behind that option that I can give you right now. I think I might throw up._

_**NO, PLEASE! I don't want to get lava in my tub, I just cleaned it!**_

"Hey Nami-chan! Are you busy?" The muffled voice she wanted to hear the least had shouted from outside her bedroom door.

"Ugh…" She groaned silently to herself, before exhaling deeply. "I'm in the shower!" She shouted to Tenten, hoping she would leave her alone to drown in her thoughts. Unfortunately, Tenten had another plan. Quite rudely, she barged in through door to the bathroom, making Izanami jump as a small squeak left her throat.

"Nami-chan, I am so sorry for last night! I didn't know my door was open and—"

"GET OUT YOU PSYCHO!" She screamed back, covering herself with her shower curtain. Tenten flushed. She knew what Izanami looked like naked; they have conversations while the one of them showers all the time. She couldn't help but feel guilty as she tried to apologize for having sex with someone Izanami never could have imagined.

"Nee-chan…" Tenten spoke sadly as she looked at the ground, "Why are you treating me so different? I didn't mean to upset you. We were dru—"

"Tenteeeeen!" Izanami whined, tears falling from her eyes as she peered over to her best friend. "I'm not upset with you! I am so proud of you for finally moving on from Neji-san. But never in my life will I be able to scrub out the image of Lee's ass cheeks from my mind" She shouted, her tears were not sad ones, but tears of embarrassment. They cried together, the emotional two, looking as pitiful as possible. Hinata could hear them from the living room as she prepped for a mission, she sweatdropped in embarrassment knowing full and well that her roommates were ugly sobbing while soaking wet from the shower. She shuttered before packing her things quickly and shouting a quick goodbye before they could drag her into it.

After hearing nothing but sobs from the neighbors, there was a knock on their front door. As startling as it was, the girls (Tenten in her drenched clothing and Izanami covered with just a towel) made their way to answer the rude person that had ruined their moment. They weren't expecting it to be Shikamaru, however. They slammed the door in his face, Izanami screaming that she was naked and running to her room to change. Tenten was crying, again, apologizing to Shikamaru for hitting his face with the door when they slammed it shut.

"What a drag," Shikamaru groaned from the door before Tenten heard his footsteps disappear. He didn't believe their cries from the other side of the door, and instead had another idea. Izanami had barely slipped on a pair of panties when her window opened. In jumped Shikamaru who, when discovered, froze in place. A deep red flush covered his shocked face.

"Shikamaru-kun!" Izanami cried, covering her body as best as she could with her arms. Still frozen in place, Shikamaru gulped as he gazed over her naked body. "Wh-Why did you come through my window if you knew I needed to come back here and change?!" She yelled, the sternness in her voice made Shikamaru fall back onto the floor and released him of his tense stance. He scurried back into the dresser by the window, covering his eyes and squeezing them shut to avoid a certain vein from starting to be sent a rush of blood.

"S-Sorry, Izzy, oh what a drag. This is so tro-oublesome." He searched for the words to say, but a soft fabric hit his covered face. "Huh?" He muttered, squinting an eye open to examine what had fallen onto him from what he assumed was the dresser. As if his face couldn't be any more flushed, his nose started to bleed as he realized he was holding the pair of panties she had been wearing and decided to throw at his face to spite him. She was laughing, now. How silly it was of him, to think she cared about him seeing her naked body.

"Oh, Shika-kun, you almost saw this all the other night. Why are you shy now?" She flashed flirtatious eyes at him while she crawled over to him. He froze again, stuttering to say something as she began to crawl atop him.

"Tr-roub-le-s-som— Ah!" He moaned as she straddled his lap, scooting up in a teasing fashion. His eyes were wild as they darted around her body; from her perky brow nipples and supple breasts to her perfect, soft—

"Fuck." He gasped, she was whispering sweet nothings into his ear as she gripped his Jonin vest tightly and pulled him intensely close to her body. A hand rested on her hip and one right above the back of her knee. He began to shutter his eyes as she slid his hand to grip her ass, trying to think of the least sexy of things to stop the flow of blood that would get him in trouble if it persisted. Izanami had no clue of his personal issues, despite the hints he had given her previously.

"Don't forget, you owe me for that little incident in the woods the other day." Izanami purred, licking his ear ever so slightly. She was empowered by the chakra the goddess radiated to her. She had been with her old sensei just hours ago, but her breath was shaky as she was using all of her power to restrain from attacking his lips in case he were to reject her. She felt big his hands squeeze her body as he swallowed a lump in his throat from just thinking about her words.

~Flashback~

"Save me the theatrics, just give me the facts. What happened? The ground doesn't break apart from just any chakra strength training." Shikamaru said, dumbfounded with the source of Izanami's power being explained. Their eyes locked as she spoke; never breaking except to study the other person's body language. They were still locked, even as silence fell upon them and as Izanami was cleaning the kunai and shuriken onto her shorts before tossing them in her bag. She smirked, noticing that every time she chucked a weapon into the bag on the floor Shikamaru's eyes would shift to her exposed cleavage. Her braless tits would jiggle around as she would fling her arm out, causing the nipples to rub against the over-the-shoulder crop top and harden. She knew he had licked his lips earlier, when he had first encountered her.

"See something you like?" She teased as she flashed her famous side smile to the blushing boy.

"Hmmph, no." He said, quickly averting his eyes. Air blew out of her nose as she scoffed silently.

"Mm, what a shame." She pouted, getting on her knees and pretending to securely pack her items, leaning a bit too far forward in order to push her ass out for him. Her athletic shorts rode up, exposing more of her skin than before. He groaned in frustration as he face palmed, dragging his fingers down his face as if he was being tortured.

"M'kay, fine, get over here." He said.

She giggled as she got up, "No, it's cool. I can handle rejection pretty well." She said in his face before starting to strut off. He grumbled before muttering something under his breath. She got maybe 5 feet away from him before she was frozen in place. Her lips formed a pout as she was unable to move any of her limbs. Shikamaru was chuckling as he came up behind her; he circled her a few times, never breaking his hand sign as he studied her.

"Hmmph. Seems like you might be stuck in my shadow paralysis jutsu." He said smugly.

"Shikamaru-senpai, let me go or else." Izanami grumbled, her mood killed.

"Mmmm... Maybe." He said, licking her ear softly. Goosebumps ran up her torso, as did his fingertips, releasing a rush of dopamine through her body. He brushed his lips across her neck, occasionally pressing them against it. Her breathing became erratic, earning another smug chuckle from him before he spoke.

"I think I should give you a hand or two, now. He whispered against her other ear. Next thing she knew, her own hands were traveling down her body. She was gripped her left breast, rolling the nipple between her fingers as her right hand rubbed her sensitive area between her thighs over the shorts in sensual circles. She licked her lips as she felt him harden against her back just as his jutsu timed out.

"Oh, so _that's_ the power of your jutsu." She said between breaths.

"Hmmph," was all he replied as he replaced her hands with his. She hummed, leaning her body into his and her head on his shoulder as he peered over hers to watch his hands at work. He couldn't see any skin besides her stomach, but the tightness of her clothing made it impossible to avoid imagining. His eyes trailed over her skin, glistening with sweat from her training. Her hairs raised as he rubbed her breasts with his hands. He could feel her nipples harden through the fabric, and he chuckled in response. She turned around to push him into the trunk of the tree behind him and crashed her lips onto his. Short, fierce kisses were exchanged before she lowered herself to her knees. He bit his lip as she unwrapped his hardened cock from his boxers and gave it a long lick while staring him in the eye. Her saliva coated his shaft as a result, allowing for her plump lips to glide across with ease as he guided her up and down. Hums of approval echoed in his chest, he was half-lidded in an attempt to watch her and just enjoy it at the same time. She was good. Her soft tongue flicked at the slit a few times as she would alter between taking in his whole length and helping herself with a hand or two.

"Mmm. How are you so good at this?" He hissed, unaware at how close she got him when it had only been just shy of 4 minutes since she started. Her lips left his penis with a loud '_POP' _as she looked up at him and smirked.

"Maybe you should focus more on cumming and less on asking questions." She said as she jacked him off. Her tongue was all the way out of her mouth as she rubbed the tip against it, sending him a wave of shocks that prickles up his spine. He'd only ever gave head to women, and forgot how lazy he could be when he was receiving it. He tilted his head back, moaning softly for the mouth of the kunoichi kneeling before him. His hips rocked forward and backwards instinctively, and he crossed an arm behind his neck for support. There was branches snapping in the distance, so Izanami had to finish him quickly. He groaned when she took in his whole length, grasping the back of her head to hold her tightly in place.

"Fuck, I'm cumming." He whispered before shooting a load down her throat. She felt the heat of his cum slide down her esophagus and eyed him as his breathing slowed down. She wiped the remaining saliva off her lips as she looked around; Someone was near by, creeping up on the two. The chakra was similar to Shikamaru's, but Izanami never encountered either of the two chakras before. Shikamaru quickly grabbed her by the waist, pulling her onto his lap after re-zipping his pants and seating himself on the floor.

"Act natural." He whispered, throwing her guard off. She furrowed her brows. _**Shouldn't we assume it's someone from his clan? They'd be after me, right?**_ She thought as the shadow of the person neared. Shikamaru grabbed a hand of hers, leaning back into the tree in his normal lazy manner and placing his other arm up behind his neck.

"Yeah, so she told me she didn't actually have feelings for me. What a drag." He said, rubbing his thumb over the hand he had laced between his own fingers. Just as he spoke, an older man stepped into view. He looked almost exactly like Shikamaru, and Izanami blushed.

"Oh!" Izanami exclaimed, pretending to be startled as she side-eyed Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru. What's going on here?" The voice boomed, an unpleasant look fell upon it followed by a frown. Shikamaru sighed, his annoyed exhaled showing just how little he cared to be caught.

"Hey dad. Sorry, I was just catching up with... a friend." He said as he slid Izanami off his lap and onto the floor between the two men.

"A _friend_, huh?" His dad questioned, squinting his eyes in suspicion. "Information I heard was that there was an unprecedented person in the forest, and she was screaming bloody murder." He said as he looked down at Izanami. Her face flushed in pseudo-embarrassment and she quickly looked down at the ground before hearing Shikamaru chuckle.

"Daaaaad..." He said, making a suggestive face. Izanami's blush became real as she looked back at the older male. This time Shikaku's face fell with a small blush when he realized what Shikamaru was suggesting.

"Oh! Uhhhhh. I had n-no idea you were— I mean, what about Tem— Nevermind. How troublesome." He stammered, looking around at every inch of the surrounding area besides where the two teens were seated. An awkward pause lingered before Shikaku placed a hand on his hip and pointed back to the direction he came, insinuating he would be leaving. Shikamaru gave him a chuckle and small wave before standing up. He offered Izanami a hand up and they walked to the edge of the forest together.

"You owe me for that." She said once they were out of earshot. "Now your dad thinks I'm loud in bed."

"Are you?" He teased, putting his hands in his pockets. She smacked his arm, earning a laugh from the lazy boy. "I'm just kidding ya know."

"Whatever, you still owe me."

"What a drag."

~End flashback~

Izanami's eyes glistened as she stared into Shikamaru's. He felt so conflicted; on one hand he knew just how attractive she was and how good it felt to let his anger and frustration with Temari go when she gave him head the other day, but on the other hand he didn't want to have sex with anyone besides Temari. They had been on and off lately, and she wouldn't give him the validation he needed. They spent majority of their time together arguing over when they can be official. As of right now, they weren't together. She was trying to talk to some guy in the cloud. The thought of her with another dude made him angry, his face curled into an annoyed frown. He knew she didn't care about what he did, but he wanted her to. He wanted her to hear about how he fucked someone as beautiful as Izanami and get her back in his arms. He smirked at the thought before crashing his lips onto hers. He gripped her ass desperately; if he was going to risk fucking her, he was going to get the most out of it. His vest and shirt were being peeled off too slowly for his liking. He wanted to take her down, but she refused to move from his lap. He groaned and squeezed her hips in frustration.

"Come on, let me do it Shikamaru." She purred in his ear. He huffed in response; she was leaving visible marks on his shoulders. His throbbing erection, however, was begging for release from his pants and he was grinding against her in every attempt to get her attention. She chuckled, unbuttoning and unfolding his dick from his pants. He lifted his body of the floor a little to pull his boxers and pants down his hips enough to expose his entire groin. Izanami hummed in approval as he grabbed her by the neck and licked up her jaw to her ear.

"You gonna take your favor now? Or should I give you a hand?" He growled at her, frustrated with how she was simply hovering over his pulsating member.

"Hush," She whispered on his lips, "Just enjoy this, and stop thinking." Izanami slowly lowered herself onto his penis. Her face caught his attention, he was no longer frowning but enthralled with how her lips parted and her head tossed back as he filled her. Temari never acted like this with him. The way she whimpered, and the way her body shuddered was so... Hot. Seeing her shutter at his girth brought a whole new sensation to his body. His hands left her hips, rubbing up her back as she took control of his body. He stared in amazement as she rode him, occasionally squeezing the back of her neck and a breast as he groaned. Her hips dipped to take all of him in so suddenly and smoothly that it could feel as though he was being... _appreciated?_

"Shikamaru." She moaned with her eyes half lidded as she looked down at his. "Thank you for letting me do this."

Music to his ears, her words. It was almost like she could read his mind, the way she curled her body with his when he would adjust and the way she would clench her pussy when he'd raise an eyebrow in reaction to the perfect angle for his dick to be in. He felt noticed by her, she could read him like a book. The hitch in his breathing, the way the vein in his neck would pop out when he felt complete bliss. He buried his head in her neck, letting her do all the work for once. It complimented his laziness, afterall. He moaned onto her skin, occasionally flicking his tongue out to taste her. She tasted so sweet, something like vanilla or maybe brown sugar. He could hear how wet she was, the slapping of her thighs on his drowned him into another plane of existence. Temari never got that wet for him, Temari never purred and cooed for his dick. Temari, Temari, Temari. He was back to his cross roads, was what he was doing right? It felt right, that's for sure. But his heart yearned for Temari. He wished she could do something like this with him. They'd only ever touched each other because she wanted to fuck other dudes. But not him. She'd only ever jack him off or let him go down on her. She never wanted intercourse, something Izanami could understand if he had told her. It seemed like she knew without him saying so, though. Small praises and validations escaped her lips as she fucked him. It was almost therapeutic, her tight pussy. He felt so good that it blinded him from his pain. Until she got off, that is. He snapped into reality when she did, a little disappointed.

"What're you—" He started.

"Shh." She cut him off as she lowered her head to his dick to finish him off. His eyes rolled back as she took him in. He smacked his head back against the dresser as she sucked his dick. His guttural moans filled her room, but he didn't care. His hands fumbled through her hair as he let her have her way with him. She paid so much attention to the way his cock twitched that he didn't have to warn her about how close he was. She hummed on his shaft as he neared closer, sending him over the edge. He squeezed his eyes shut as he came, his chest falling back to his normal breathing. He felt euphoric; Not only did he get a familiar blast of dopamine rushed to his body, but he didn't have to do any hard work to get it. He enjoyed watching someone take control of a situation for him. Izanami was wiping her mouth with her arm when he opened his eyes. She smiled softly at him as she handed him his shirt and vest. He took them gently, not realizing his hands were shaking.

"Did- Did you—" He was breathless.

"No," She answered with a smile, "I knew you need to though." She had got up and was looking through the very top dresser drawer.

"What? Come here." He said, pulling her hand to get her back down.

"I'm good, hun. I liked making you feel better. And I know about you and Temari." She said, throwing him off. He scoffed as he pulled his pants back on.

"You're lucky I'm lazy. I don't like having girls not cum." He said, earning a chuckle from a now half-naked Izanami. She wore a black bralette that looped around her neck halter style and a pair of black cheeky boyshort underwear. She closed the drawer and walked over to her closet as she picked out an outfit for the day.

"So why are you here?" She said as she looked through her hangers of tops that her friends had bought for her. Shikamaru explained himself as he redressed himself. Izanami decided on a tight camisole crop top that had two red dragons cupping where her breasts were. It was a dark gray, contrasting with the pair of bright red destroyed jean shorts she chose. Underneath she wore fishnet tights, pulling the hem up to her waist. She also wore a pair of boots that her friends bought her, even though they were supposed to be for missions. Shikamaru had said he was there to brief her on what the Hokage would ask her when she went to her meeting the next day. He encouraged her to answer as truthfully as possible, as he wanted her mental health in best shape in order for her to be brought back onto missions. They discussed her private mission that Gaara gave her, and he convinced her that if she could get a good enough team together for it as well as a Jonin who would agree to run it down, she could easily ask Tsunade for permission and be granted it. It was so casual, almost too casual for Shikamaru. He furrowed his brows in confusion as he watched her talk as though she hadn't just sucked the soul out of his dick.

She tossed her hair over her shoulders as she bent forward, pulling the strands together to be put into a high ponytail. She then took a grey medical-like face mask off her vanity and slid the loops over her ears. It matched her top, save for the black line across it that made a u-shaped smile with a little black hoop hanging out over the corner as if it was a tongue. She led him out to the kitchen, where Tenten had been busy jamming out to the music Izanami left playing in the stereo in new, dry clothes and cooking some miso soup. There were dumplings out for snacks, seems like she ran out for a grocery trip while Izanami and Shikamaru were getting _close_ to one another. A small pink hue creeped across his cheekbones as he thought about if Tenten knew what happened.

"So, what were you guys talking about?" She said, tossing a dumpling into her mouth as she danced a little.

"Oh, you know. Missions and such." Izanami smirked as she bit into a dumpling herself. She held the box out to Shikamaru as she chewed.

"Thanks. Yeah, we were discussing her special mission from the Kazekage." He said, taking a dumpling himself and biting into it. The crisp outer layer crunched as he did.

"He was also telling me about his girl problems." Izanami said with a giggle. Shikamaru gasped, causing him to choke on the dumpling in his mouth. She laughed harder, patting him on the back as he caught his breath.

"Geez, Shikamaru. If it wasn't a known fact that you and Temari had issues, I doubt she would've said something like that." Tenten teased, stirring the pot a little (both literally and metaphorically.)

"A well known fact?" Shikamaru exclaimed, this was news to him. "I didn't know Temari was telling people about us."

"Well, technically she told Ino. But Ino blabbered to Sakura and me, and then Sakura brought it up before Izanami's party last night." Tenten shrugged.

"Sorry, Shikamaru-chan. I guess everyone knew her game but you." Izanami was sincere as she rubbed his back apologetically.

"So what do you guys know?" He questioned, curious just how Temari portrayed him. The girls looked over at each other with a certain knowing look before sighing simultaneously.

"She says you're good at giving head." Izanami laughed, making him blush. "But also, that she doesn't wanna have sex with you until she's ready to settle down."

Shikamaru pouted. "Well that's good, right? That means she wants to settle down with me." He said, shoving his hands into his armpits as he crossed his arms in slight disappointment.

Tenten sucked her teeth before facing him. "Listen, don't let her get to you. You don't need to wait around for her. If she doesn't want to fuck you because she wants to sleep around, you should be doing the same. I mean that's what most of us are doing any how." She huffed as she crossed her arms at him. His pout became a frown as he realized they were being honest with him.

"Hun, you're a really attractive guy. I doubt she is your only option right now. Ino and Sai broke up, Anko is still single, and some cloud kunoichi have been coming around the village just to see you!" Izanami encouraged him. Shikamaru shrugged in response.

"Show her what she's missing. Besides, we could get her back in your arms with a few rumors. If you ask nicely." She pushed his shoulder over playfully. Her body radiated confidence, and he couldn't help but lick his lips as he looked over at her. Tenten blushed as she looked between the two.

"Oh shit. Don't tell me you guys—"

"No!" Izanami shouted. "Besides, Kiba would probably kill him. Or very deeply maim him.. I think he's got a thing for me ya know? Rumors would just be rumors." She knew exactly how Kiba felt for her, but didn't want to expose his feelings out of respect.

"Hmmph." Shikamaru replied, "Even if he does, he never said anything to me. It's not like I'd be breaking guy code or anything."

"So you're saying you _want_ to fuck Izzy?" Tenten asked, teasing him further.

"No, I just meant—"

"Just meant what, Shikamaru?" Kiba said, startling the group.

"Kiba! What're you doing here? Why do you never knock like a normal person!" Izanami had run over to hug him but smacked his arm for intruding.

"Nothing, Hinata-kun left her sweater at my apartment from last night." He said, tossing the sweater at Izanami. _**Why was Hinata over?**_ Izanami thought. Kiba continued, "But I overheard the conversation and was intrigued with what Shikamaru meant by not breaking guy code." He crossed his arms. Izanami could feel his anger exuding heat to her body.

"Kiba-chan, calm down." She said, placing her hands on his shoulders and standing between the boys. "He just meant that if for whatever reason you did like me and if you didn't say anything to him, he wouldn't have known if he were to make a move.. But hypothetically!" Kiba stared past her eyes and inhaled deeply. He could smell her sweat, and he was suspicious as to why she was sweating when she just woke up. He also caught a whiff of Shikamaru's sweat; it wasn't coming from his body, but from behind Kiba's back: Izanami's room. He analyzed Shikamaru for a moment, looking at his neck before finding that the collar of his vest was uneven, from a distance he could see a small red splotch on Shikamaru's shoulder. He looked back at Izanami's eyes before leaving without a word.

"Kiba! Where are you going? What's wrong." Izanami said as she chased him out of the apartment.

"Oh brother, now he's pissed. What a drag, I didn't even know he liked her." Shikamaru groaned.

Kiba swung the door shut behind him, but Izanami was able to slide through the crack before it slammed against the frame.

"KIBA. Who the fuck do you think you are? You can't just slam doors that don't belong to you." Izanami shouted, pulling at his hand. He quickly shook it off and turned back at her, glaring her down as he took a step toward her. She sweatdropped in fear, raising her hands with a scared smile to show she meant no harm.

"U-Uhhh, Kiba-chan, you're so scary. Please relax, hun. I just want to talk. You told me you didn't want us to sleep together, so why are you upset? You also said that you didn't care if I was with other people. But me and Shikamaru—." She pleaded.

"There's nothing to talk about." He said, walking off. "I don't care what you do, but don't be going around telling people my personal shit, saying I have feelings for you when you just got done fucking them. Don't lie and say you didn't just fuck him. And by the way, tell Hinata I said thanks for last night. For a shy girl, she's pretty good in b—"

"No." Izanami said sternly over him, her eyes were shut as she stood in place. No longer chasing Kiba, she balled her fists in anger at him. "I'm not playing this fucking game, Kiba. No, I'm sorry, but I won't let you try to make me jealous just because you felt like being a dick!" Kiba's face fell from his playful smile to sadness. He didn't think she would react like that, and now he regretted playing with her emotions the way he was going to. Shikamaru exited the apartment as she shouted.

"Nami, I was just—"

"I DON'T CARE. Don't fucking talk to me. I don't want to see your face anymore. You don't get to tell me what to do with my body then turn around and claim to have fucked someone I consider a sister. Not that I believe it, because Hina-chan can do so much better than some sorry little Hokage wannabe, dog-fucking, **asshole **like **YOU**!" She stormed off, running as fast as she could into the town.

Shikamaru looked over at him and shrugged. "Troublesome woman." He mumbled before walking after her. "I don't think she meant what she said, so don't take it to heart. But you need to think about a girl's feelings before you say shit. Otherwise you're gonna end up lonelier than you are now." He called over to Kiba as he walked down the steps. Kiba huffed and stormed into his apartment, slamming the door shut.

In the center of town, Izanami was running to the Hokage's office. Her tears dried on her face as she whipped past civilians and ninja alike. Her vision was clear now, and she was ready to leave the Leaf for a while. People tried to get her attention as she ran past, but she ignored them. Unfortunately for her, this caused a pair of ninja to follow her. They could tell something was wrong with her, so they wanted to see where she was going. When they arrived to the Hokage's HQ they were confused. Despite their hesitation, they entered. Izanami didn't have an appointment but Lady Shizune could tell it was urgent, so she brought her into the room.

"Tsunade-sama, forgive me for the intrusion." Izanami said bowing out of respect.

"It's no intrusion, I could use a break. What's going on?" Tsunade said, her piercing blue eyes looked over the kunoichi for signs of injuries.

"Ma'am. I received a mission from the Kazekage back during the festival. He had asked me to return this blade on my back to the Village Hidden in the Mist, and I had wondered if you would give me permission to set up a team to help me out." She said, unwavering from her bow. Her eyes never left the floor below her.

"And why would I send you and some of my men to the Hidden Mist voluntarily? What's in it for the village?" Tsunade questioned, she knew everything but wanted Izanami to be truthful and was testing her.

Izanami sighed, explaining everything that Kakashi had already told her. What Tsunade didn't know, however, was how the soul leeching off the kunoichi's body had tried to attack Sasuke. Or what happened in the Nara forest. Izanami told her every detail, even about how her senses are now heightened thanks to the Goddess. She explained the jutsus she's managed to master within days of healing, the strength that broke the forest floor, the amount of physical resistance she's been building to genjutsu and ninjutsu. They discussed and tested out all the abilities that Izanami claimed to have in that room. Tsunade called upon the Intel Unit to find out all they could about Izanami no-mikoto and her counterpart.

"Also, send notice to Sasuke Uchiha. He needs to explain what he knows about his own visual prowess to the Intel Unit. Have Shikaku and Shikamaru join him, together they will find out how these reincarnated souls tie in."

"Hai, Ma'am!" Shizune said before rushing through the doors, knocking over two eavesdropping shinobi behind it. They stumbles to their feet, creating some excuse for listening in on the conversation.

"You two! You're to also join Izanami on this mission. Neji, you shall be the captain of this team. You two have worked together before so you know each other's strengths and weaknesses. Naruto-kun, you have to listen to him. You three have to make two trips: One to the cloud, and then head to the Mist."

"Two trips, ma'am?" Izanami frowned.

"You might want to meet your dad before you get to the Mist. He probably has more information on your mother's home life that will help you find your way around the Mist and their culture. Also, you need to relax as much as possible before taking on 100% of the power you possess. He can help you face your inner self and find your true strength."

"Yeaaaa! Old man octopops is the best mentor, ya know!" Naruto exclaimed, throwing a fist in the air. "I'll send my clones to grab our stuff and get us a ride!" He said, making the hand signs and sending four clones to grab the team's go-bags from their houses and to the rental shop to reserve a small trailer with a bed and restroom as well as a couple horses. Being a Jonin, he was making more money than ever. He also spent the weeks studying harder than before to impress Izanami with how much he knew when she woke from her coma.

"You're to leave tonight. There's a terrible storm coming later this week, and it would throw your journey off for a few weeks so it's best you leave sooner rather than later. You're dismissed."

The shinobi left HQ to gather some food for the trip, as well as eat an early dinner before heading out on the road. The shadow clones caught up to them just in time. They tossed their bags into the trailer and took their respective spots: Izanami laid out on the bed where Naruto sat at the edge, playing some card game with Neji who had leaned his head against the wall opposite of the bed. Naruto had sent some shadow clones to guard the horses and spent the night wondering when they'd stop for a treat and talking about his great adventures with Killer Bee. Neji, annoyed, alternated between walking outside to make sure the clones were doing their jobs and using his Byakugan to scan the local areas. They would be traveling for over 50 hours, so he figured there might as well be shifts of walking between them. He didn't think there would be any trouble, especially because they weren't doing something higher than a C-rank mission. If anything, this was a low D, and it seemed a little off for him to be on such a mission since he was used to being on his toes with B and A rank missions with other Jonin. While outside, he studied the trees and the buzzing of the night time bugs, relaxing a little as the forest brought him peace. They weren't in any rush, for once, and the horses just kept their course, trotting along the trail with ease. He occasionally pet them as they walked at his side and brought them back on track if they started to lean over the middle of the trail. Passing vendors and villagers waved a friendly "Hello!" occasionally, and he felt the wind pick up before he realized it had been a few hours since he came out from the trailer, and the busy night turned into a still morning. Izanami exited the trailer when it had stopped to take a turn through a small village. She was mask-less, her hair in a bun, and was now wearing one of Neji's big hoodies. It hung past her shorts, her fishnet tights had gotten bunched up while she slept, so she took them off before going to bed. Neji blew air out of his nose as a small laugh in reaction to her attire.

"Good morning," She whispered as she approached him, followed by a yawn. It was hardly that, probably around 4AM, but she and Naruto must have fallen asleep shortly after Neji left. He nodded in response and continued his stroll through the tiny streets. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, wondering where they were.

"You think we could grab some tea or coffee or something here?" She asked as they approached what seemed to be some shops. Neji shrugged. Most of them were closed or barely opening. Birds started their morning routine, chirping softly in harmony with a few sounds of clanking bamboo coming from the only shop that was opening. Izanami noticed that most of the buildings they passed had been made of bamboo and curiously reached out to touch a few walls as they walked up to a man setting up an 'Open' sign out front of his corner shop.

"Good morning, Shōnin-san." She said as she bowed slightly in respect of the unknown merchant. He jumped a little but smiled when he saw them.

"Ahhhh, yōkosho! Come in, come in! I am just finishing up. I've got pastries, teas, coffee, oh! And maybe a treat or two for the lovely couple." He said, urging Neji and Izanami toward the door he was holding open. They blushed before tying the horses to the bar out front, they didn't feel like correcting the stranger, so they ventured into the shop, it's clear glass windows making it easy for them to keep an eye on their trailer. A strong scent of baked goods and brewing coffee filled the air. Izanami's eyes examined the array of goods through their glass encasement. Her tummy let out a soft rumble, she had no idea she was hungry since she had been snacking from the time they left. But the smell of the crisp treats left her body feeling empty and hungry. Neji stood beside her, looking through the items as well before speaking.

"I'll take some hot chai tea while she decides, please." He said. The merchant chirped in response, grabbing a foam cup and filling it with the tea he had already prepared and heating up some milk before mixing it into the cup for Neji. He handed it over and Neji exchanged some coins for him, unsure if he would like it. Izanami asked for a cup of coffee with vanilla creamer, and he got hers as well. Coming from a family of repute, and by noticing his eyes, the merchant noted that he knew of his clan and could tell that he was a Hyuuga.

"So, since you are visiting a more romantic village, does that mean you are visiting our village on honeymoon, sir?" He asked as he cleaned his work area and took his place waiting for them to decide on a pastry. The duo blushed again, looking at each other with a small chuckle before looking back at him.

"No, sir, we are actually on a mission right now." Izanami answered with a smile before taking a sip of the fresh coffee that was warming up her hands.

"And we're not together." Neji stated after taking a seat in front of the encasement. The merchant had it set up similar to a bar, with stools surrounding the whole encasement and a register around the corner. There were scattered tables with a chair or two around the rest of the coffee shop, as well as a couch and a side drawer filled with books and magazines. There was a soft hint of music playing from a speaker in the far back of the kitchen where the bakers were creating more masterpieces.

"Yeah, that too." Izanami said, pouting a little. "I'd love one of those croissants, what's inside?" She asked, pointing through the glass and placing her cup on the bar. The door behind them opened with a _riing riiing. _There was a bell at the top that would be hit if a customer were to enter.

"Ahh, yokōsho young man. Are you with these two shinobi?" He asked as the two turned their heads to look at the incoming customer. Confirmative nods showed the merchant that the blonde boy in the orange jumpsuit was indeed their comrade.

"Good morning. You got any more tea?" Naruto said grumpily, sitting beside Izanami and bumping her slightly as a greeting and nodding at Neji.

"Coming right up, what kind would you like? Oh, and to answer your question, miss, it's filled with chocolate imported from the Moon Country." He said before turning back to the kitchen and grabbing hot water.

"I'll take some iced green tea; I need to wake up. Could ya put some lemon in it too?" Naruto asked, earning a nudge from Izanami for his lack of politeness. "Please." He added. The sound of ice shaking against a glass cup filled the air as Izanami debated over getting the pastry or something more nutritious like the multi-grain banana loaf that also called her attention. The man had only nodded in response to Naruto, but he spoke when he approached the counter.

"I'll do you one better; it's got half lemonade in it." The man said, handing off the drink to Naruto. "So, um , what's this mission you are on? If you can even speak about it, I mean. Does it have to do with our village?"

"No, it's more of a personal mission but it's nothing too serious and I'll take that croissant with chocolate please!" Izanami said with a smile, "We're going to the Lightning Country to meet with other ninja in the Cloud Village. Thank you." She bit into the croissant as soon as she was handed it, the moist inside sent her tastebuds into overdrive and the flaky exterior made it even better. She moaned with delight, "This is so yummy! I've never tasted anything like this. What do I owe you?"

"Really, you like it that much? It's an original recipe! I thought I should try something different since buttered croissants can get so boring. No charge, for the beautiful kunoichi that loves my pastries! Don't tell my wife." He was giddy from her compliment and he laughed at his own joke, making the teens laugh as well.

"No, really, you're very hospitable, we must owe you something! I'll make you a deal, you tell me something you'd like to get from the Cloud, but can't, and I'll get some for you! As long as it's legal, that is." Izanami said with a wink. The older man sweatdropped. He had never met a woman so openly flirtatious, not that she was flirting. Her body language always threw off civilians, since they always considered kunoichi to be promiscuous and slutty. The old man took a second before wiping the sweat (and the beginning of a bloody nose) off his upper lip. Izanami had that sort of power over civilian men, and Neji never liked it. He glared at the pervy man, ready to strike if he said something else that insinuated that she was attractive.

"Uhhhh…" The old man looked between Neji and Izanami quickly, studying the reaction of the shinobi carefully before he made his reply. "Ye-Yes, well how bout you just don't worry about it? I don't want to trouble you on your mission." He felt the weight of Neji's glare lift off his shoulders as he scrambled to write up their receipt. Izanami's ignorance to the way the man had been eating her up with his eyes only made Neji feel stronger toward defending her. She happily paid for the trio, tipping heftily before Neji could snap out of his funk and reach into his wallet to pay. He grumbled to himself before finishing off his drink and following Izanami out of the store.

"Hey what was that guy thinking? Don't tell me I was the only one who caught him staring at Nami-chan like she was some pastries! I wish he would have said something, I woulda gave him a beat down ya know!" Naruto said once they climbed into the trailer. Neji sighed in annoyance and plopped onto the bed, nuzzling the pillow to get comfortable.

"He was what?" Izanami asked after she put her things away on the counter. She rolled her eyes at Neji sprawled out among the bed, leaving no room for her to sit. Naruto listed off all the questionable movements and glints in the merchant's eyes as Izanami scoots Neji's legs over to sit down. She shrugged as Naruto hyped himself up, angry that she couldn't care less about the way strangers looked at her.

"Naruto-kun, it's nothing to be worried about." She said with a laugh. "That's just how the outside world works. Men stare at women who they find attractive all the time, it's not right, but I don't let it get to me. You forget where I came from." Naruto hunched over in defeat, groaning about how he was going to take the next shift of walking before leaving. The horses began their course again, the clacking of their hooves confirming that they were now headed out of the village and toward the nearest harbor or the Frost Country. They would have to cross through a blizzard or deal with the ocean. Izanami mentally groaned when she realized her go bag didn't have any cold weather clothing. She plopped over Neji's back, huffing as she hit his body and the bed. Neji groaned again, thinking she was trying to mess with him.

"Oh, shut it. Don't act like I'm heavy or I'll show you what heavy is." She warned. Neji blew air out of his nose, his air looks like little ghosts attempting to leave.

"Just what do you mean by that?" He asked, only a little curious to know what she really meant. But mostly intrigued with the idea of tantalizing Izanami on this trip.

"Nothing, really. 'Cept that I'll crush you." She said as she rolled over quickly and mounted his back. She giggled as she sat on top of him, pushing his face into the bed as he wiggled and kicked to get free beneath her. Her laughter ceased when he flipped them, pinning her to the bed. Izanami huffed, blowing her bangs out of her eyes.

"You're no fun." She whined, pouting as she struggled to pull her arms from his grip.

"Oh? You want to have fun?" He teased, licking up her neck and giving her ear soft kisses. Goosebumps raised all over her skin, his familiar tender touch made it that much easier for her to melt. She missed him, but she wasn't in the mood.

"Hmmph. No, we're not together, remember?" She said. Shocked, he looked into her eyes. He scanned for any hint of a joke, and furrowed his brows in concern when she looked away.

"Koibito... I thought we agreed that—" He started.

"I know!" She said with a chuckle, grabbing his face. "Don't worry about it, Neji-senpai." Her words lightened the mood slightly, and Neji laid his head on her chest to fall asleep. Izanami smiled at him and played with his hair, but inside she was hurting. _**Why can't I get this shit right? Am I doing something wrong? One wants me, but doesn't wanna sleep with me til we're together. One wants to sleep with me, but wouldn't date me. And the rest just like the idea of me and taking advantage of my body. Mom, why can't I just know the answers? **_She wondered, a few silent tears slid out of her eyes as she contemplated her future. The goddess, inside their mental plane, placed an understanding hand on the girl's shoulder. A silent, acknowledging gesture. But Izanami didn't need comfort from her, she needed her mother's love. Her eyes darted open as she realized how to contact her mother.

Later, in the evening, Naruto switched shifts with Izanami. He mentioned to her that he could stay and walk with her if she needed. She denied, a course, and claimed she needed some time to think anyways. They were halfway there now, and Izanami had decided being seasick beat the freezing blizzard so she was leading the horses to the harbor. The taste of salt carried through the wind, and she crossed her arms as the wind picked up. They were arriving to the stables just off shore to drop off the horses until they return home. There was a small elder woman at the desk, nodding off every couple of minutes but the instant she felt Izanami's presence, she shot up and looked at her with endearing eyes.

"Oh, young lady, how may I assist you?" Her soft voice crackled like the fire that was lit in the pit out front. Izanami smiled and took her purse out.

"I was told that this is where leaf shinobi can store their horses when crossing over to the Cloud. Do you have any room for these two and my cart?" She asked respectfully, being sure to bow as she requested space.

"Ah, a kunoichi. Yes, I'm sure we have space but be weary, raiders have been lurking around these parts. We hired guards for these stables, but, they're only genin." The woman replied, putting together paperwork for Izanami.

Izanami chuckled, "Oh, you never know. Some genin tend to be stronger than you think." She said. Just then there was a loud crash followed by groan from a young voice.

"Owww." The voice said.

"Baka! Why aren't you watching where you're practicing that dumb jutsu? And can you stop doing it in front of me!?" Another young voice yelled at the first one. The two women at the desk looked at each other, exchanging knowing glances before Izanami blushed and walked over to the stables with her horses in tow. When she arrived, she saw two young teenagers arguing while one sat on the ground against the stable wall. She sighed in annoyance, but quickly recovered with a small smile as she approached the door.

"Hey, it's you! Moegi, look! It's that girl from our first week at the academy!" the boy on the ground said, cheerfully. Izanami furrowed her brows as she analyzed the boy.

"No it's not, Udon-kun. Not every pretty kunoichi with blue hair is Izanami." Moegi sassily said back.

"No, it is! Izzy-chan! What are you doing here?" Konohamaru cheerfully exclaimed, running to hug the surprised kunoichi. She chuckled, a small blush creeped on her face as she realized she had forgotten all about her younger academy friends. She hugged him back with a tight squeeze before pulling back and ruffling his hair around.

"Oh my gosh, you have gotten sooo big! What are you, fourteen now?" She asked with a big smile as the other genin ran up to welcome her with hugs as well.

"I'm thirteen and three quarters! My birthday is coming up soon, so I'm pretty excited." He grinned, placing closed fists on his hips in a proud stance.

"Izanami-senpai, I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you. You look so pretty, I had forgotten you had gotten older too!" Moegi said, pouting a little.

"Don't worry about it, Gigi-chan. And call me Izanami, you know me!" The older kunoichi giggled.

"Hai, hai! Sorry, Izanami."

"So what's this I hear about you guys being hired for a mission? How awesome!"

"Nnng. Not really awesome, we just stand here all day while Sensei guards the back entrance." Udon said, plopping himself back on the floor.

"I told Sensei I could cover this door on my won with shadow clones, but he insisted on all of us standing here." Konohamaru huffed, crossing his arms.

Moegi snorted, "What are you gonna do, _harem jutsu_ them to death?"

"And what's wrong with a little Harem jutsu?" Naruto said from the trailer as he stepped down.

"Big brother Naruto! You're here too?" Konohamaru exclaimed, throwing a fistbump for Naruto to meet as he approached them.

"Yeah, we're kinda on a mission, so we're leaving our stuff here for the next couple of days. You guys better guard it with your lives, ya know!" He cheerfully responded, throwing a thumbs up after greeting Konohamaru with a fistbump.

"A harem jutsu?" Izanami asked, but with the look on Konohamaru and Naruto's faces she really wished she hadn't. Almost instantly the duo made a handsign she didn't recognize, and with a _poof_ they became very voluptuous and beautiful women. Izanami's eyes bulged and her lips parted in awe.

"How do you do that?! They look so real! Wow, I wish I looked like yours, Kono-san. Naruto-senpai, yours looks just like you. Teach me this jutsu, yeah?" She giggled as she looked over the boys who fell over in shock.

"Y-You mean you're not gonna hit us?" Konohamaru said, frozen in place next to Naruto on the floor. Their faces blank, they resembled possums playing dead.

"Man, I didn't know girls could be pervs too." Naruto mumbled.

"Oh, I'm a pretty bad pervert, Naruto-kun." Izanami said, smirking as his face reddened.

"She might not hit you, but I will. Stop goofing around and be serious for once Naruto. We have to catch the boat in 5 minutes or else we wait til morning." Neji scolded from the steps of the cart.

The whole group of ninja jolted up to bow and apologize to the scary boy. He huffed in response and said something about getting on with their day. Naruto and Izanami said goodbye to their friends, who took their horses into the stables and the cart to it's respective storage slot inside. The older shinobi ran to the docks, bags either in hand or on their backs, barely catching the last boat. They were exhausted, and luckily the boat was made to hold whole crews for long voyages across the oceans. They were led to two different rooms, one for the boys and another for Izanami. Izanami's was not only on a higher deck-level, but it was nicer, with beautiful silk sheets on a queen size bed, a window with views of the night sky, and a full bathroom. The boys were stuck with two twin size bunk beds, cramped space, and had to use communal bathrooms down lower on the boat. She tried to argue switching places with Neji since he hadn't got as much sleep as the other two, or even Naruto since he just got back from another mission, but the Captain insisted on it. For the meantime, however, they all sat on the bed in her room. They'd play card games and eat the packed snacks for a couple hours, occasionally one would use the bathroom or stretch out their legs to go look out the window. Izanami had brought her speaker with her and was playing music at a low volume in the background as she talked to Neji about taijutsu while brushing her hair. Naruto groaned, getting bored of playing card games and listening to things he didn't understand.

"I'm gonna go back to the room, Neji-san. I am so ready for bed now. I can take your bag with me if you want ya know!" He offered, grabbing his own bag and waiting by the door.

"Uh.. Yeah, please. Thank you, Naruto-kun." He mumbled, too busy organizing the cards in Izanami's deck at the edge of the bed with his back facing the door. Naruto grabbed the bag off the ground and gave Izanami a goodnight hug before leaving.

_**(You're mine and I like it, yeah**_

_**You're fine, but besides that, I**_

_**See through to your heart**_

_**You lie, I don't mind it**_

_**That's just the kind of guy that you are...)**_

Izanami locked the door behind him in precaution, and headed to her bag by the window while bumping her head to the bright and bubbly lyrics from the speaker resonated in the quiet room. Izanami sang along as she unpacked her bag. Though they had travelled for almost 2 days, the boat trip alone would take another day and a half. Luckily, however, they'd dock in right at the shore of the Cloud village. She set aside a relaxed outfit for the next day, since they hadn't planned on doing much, and began changing into pajamas. _**(Tell me anything, everything, whatever, I wanna hear. It's the sweet little nothings that's all I need to keep me here)**_

She removed Neji's hoodie first, tossing it to a chair nearby, leaving her in just a bra and black boy shorts. She then put a leg on the chair and began rolling her thigh high socks off, singing along softly. Neji shifted in the bed, putting the cards down slowly as he watched her with bewildered eyes.

"Don't choose me then use me, yeah." She sang, looking back at Neji and smiling a little when he blushes from being caught staring. "Don't you dare deny my love." She continued undressing as she approached him, removing her bra seductively. The blush on his face grew and he didn't take his eyes off her body as she crawled onto his lap. _**(Tell me anything, everything, whatever, I wanna hear. It's the sweet little nothings that's all I need to keep me here.)**_

She caressed his face, running her fingertips down the bridge of his nose and along his jawline before cupping it gently and giving him a soft kiss. He kissed back, running his hands up her hips, trailing up her torso until they met her own. She placed her forehead against his after their lips parted. She always felt so warm when he touched her. His heart, too. He didn't understand how someone could warm him up so physically, how one touch from her could erase the pain of his father's death, how the way she sang made him feel like he was floating in the clouds. She was always a pain in the ass, disturbing him at the worst times during training. Or like when she catches him meditating and she yells from across the park and joins him without any invitation. He smiled at the memory, opening his eyes and peering into hers. _**(Love me like you say you love me, then we'll be forever.)**_

"Nami-chan…" He whispered his breath shaky.

"Hmm?" She hummed, snuggling her naked body onto his clothed one and wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him in closer as the song changed.

_**(You saw right through every last bit of me.**_

_**I should've known it from your energy,**_

_**We've got this synergy, your soul was close like it remembers me.**_

_**Instilled in me.  
90 degrees in California, you put chills in me.)**_

"I… I wanna be with you.." He said, freezing Izanami's movements as her eyes widened. A faint blush crept across her cheeks.

"Neji—" She started, but she was interrupted by his lips pressing against hers again. The kiss felt deeper, more passionate. She loosened up her tense reaction, exhaling through her nose a sigh of relief. He grabbed at her back, desperate to pull her in tightly. Their lips parted for a second, to allow for a breath, but they returned instantly. Neji licked and tugged at her bottom lip as he rolled her over to lay her down on the bed. She let his tongue explore her mouth, rolling her own around his and moaning softly as he grinded between her legs, which were up and wrapped around his back. He tucked his right hand around the back of her neck, keeping his thumb on her throat and gently tracing a line on it. He ended the kiss, pulling back to look at her face.

"You're so beautiful, koibito.." He whispered, looking at her enhanced freckles from the blush on her face which had rested in a natural pout.

"Neji, are you sure about this?" She whispered, holding back tears. "I don't want to embarrass you in front of your fam—"

"My family doesn't matter. I-... I love you, Izanami." He admitted, blushing and looking off to the side. Izanami's eyes widened again, her heart leaping out of her chest as she waited for him to say he didn't mean to say that and it was just the heat of the moment. _**(Even if I chose, I feel like you the right decision. Yeah, you've got aspirations, you ain't fucking up the vision..)**_

She turned his head back to face her, sitting up slightly with one hand and holding herself up by his neck with the other. "You can't say that to me without meaning it, Neji Hyuuga." She warned.

His brows furrowed, a little frustrated, "Of course I mean it, Nami." And he did. It was always difficult for Neji to even recognize his own emotions, but to admit them? To the person he felt most vulnerable with? That was unheard of. He pouted a bit, worried that she didn't feel the same way. He knew her and Kiba were best friends, and that their relationship would have been a better option for her.

"I love you, too, Neji-senpai." She whispered, pulling him in by his Jonin vest's collar. His eyes widened before falling shut, and their passionate kiss continued. Soft pants and moans escaped their lips as Izanami helped undress Neji while simultaneously letting him grab and rub her body up. Her panties were starting to get soaked, her arousal burning to get relief from him. He groaned as she kissed his bare neck and rubbed his erection through his boxers. The heat from their love made him sweat a little, yet he ventured on, kissing, licking, and sucking his way down to her panties. He kissed her thighs softly, eventually giving them playful bites and leaving his mark along them. She was squirming beneath him to get some friction at her center. He hummed on her panties, earning a frustrated groan from her. He nuzzled her pussy from outside her panties, and she rolled her hips around to get more out of it.

"Mmmm, koibito, tell me what you want." He almost sang as he spoke in a soft voice. He pulled her panties down painfully slow for Izanami.

"F-Fuck. Senpai, I want you inside me." She moaned. "I don't even want you to lick me up the way you do, I just need your dick inside me S-Senpai."

A low growl left his lips as he crawled back up to her face. "You want my dick, baby?" He teased as he held her arms down; he was so close to her lips that she could almost taste him, but he wouldn't let her.

"P-Please?" She begged, looking up at him with sad, lustful eyes. He smirked and removed a hand after holding her wrists together with just one. The free hand pumped his now exposed member and rubbed it down her dripping cunt, teasing her as always.

She let out desperate whines, begging for him to enter her. "Please, please, Neji please." She cried.

"Shhhh." He said as the hand gripping her wrists left to cover her mouth. He thrusted his dick in as hard as he could. She jolted back in shock, letting out a loud moan. He hushed her again, this time angrily. He leaned onto the hand covering her mouth, getting down to her level and looking her in the eye as the second hand came back to her neck.

"We can't get caught, can we?" He scolded, thrusting into her roughly. Her muffled grunts of passion couldn't be heard now, but the slapping of his thighs against hers could. The heat from their bodies melding together as one fogged up the window for the remainder of the night before Neji had to escape to his own room to avoid suspicion from Naruto.

* * *

Hey guys! ;~; so sorry ive been MIA. i kinda lost the writing spirit after hitting a few walls. But Im back and already have 25% of ch 9 ready so I promise i wont fall short with my promise to upload anymore but pleaaaase be commenting or pming me about if you like or dislike anything about the story, it really helps me feel more inspired and i write much more detail than i do when unmotivated! xx


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